Boeing's biggest 737 Max model completes maiden flight

The Max 10 is scheduled to enter into commercial service in 2023

The Boeing 737 Max 10 jet lands at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, US, on June 18, 2021. Boeing's biggest 737 Max model embarked on its first flight on Friday morning. Bloomberg

Boeing’s fourth and largest 737 Max model successfully completed its first flight on Friday in a step towards recovery after the grounding of a smaller member of the company's single-aisle jet family.

The 737 Max 10 took off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington, at 10.07am local time and landed at 12.38pm at Boeing Field, south of Seattle, the US aircraft maker said.

“The plane performed beautifully,” said Capt Jennifer Henderson, the chief pilot for the 737 programme. “The profile we flew allowed us to test the aeroplane’s systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected.”

The flight is an important milestone for the company as it deals with the challenges resulting from the 20-month grounding of the smaller 737 Max-8 model after two crashes and the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit airlines hard.

Friday’s flight was the start of a comprehensive test programme for the 737 Max 10 jet.

Boeing will work closely with regulators to certify the aircraft before its scheduled entry into service in 2023, it said.

“The 737 Max 10 is an important part of our customers’ fleet plans, giving them more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle plane,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive of Boeing's commercial aircraft division.

“Our team is committed to delivering a plane with the highest quality and reliability.”

The 737 Max 10 can seat up to 230 passengers in a single-aisle configuration that is popular with budget airlines. It also features environmental improvements that allow it to cut carbon emissions by 14 per cent and reduce noise by 50 per cent compared to the current Boeing 737 Next-Generation jet family.

Boeing said it has received more than 400 orders for the 737 Max 10 from 16 airline customers around the world.

The Boeing 737 jet family is the workhorse of several airlines around the world and is used extensively by budget operators. The 737 Max 10 competes with the popular A321 Neo jet produced by European rival Airbus.