Boeing 737

Boeing 737
A Boeing 737-200, the first mass-produced 737 model, in operation with South African Airways in 2007
Role	Narrow-body airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Boeing Commercial Airplanes
First flight	April 9, 1967
Introduction	February 10, 1968, with Lufthansa
Status	In service
Primary users	Southwest Airlines Ryanair United Airlines American Airlines
Produced	1965-present
Number built	10,444 as of December 2018[1]
Unit cost	-100: US$3.7M (1968),[2] $28.8M today -200: US$4.0M (1968),[2] $31.2M today -200: US$5.2M (1972),[3] $33.7M today
Variants	Boeing T-43
Developed into	Boeing 737 Classic Boeing 737 Next Generation Boeing 737 MAX

The Boeing 737 is a twin narrow-body airliner built by Boeing. At first, Boeing was making it to be a shorter, cheaper airliner than its 707 and 727. However, the 737 has become a family of many different models. The number of passengers it can carry ranges from 85 to 215. The 737 is the only narrow-body airliner that Boeing is making. The only types of 737 that Boeing is still making are the -700, -800 and -900ER. A version of the 737 with larger engines, the 737 MAX, came into service in 2017 but was grounded between 2019 and 2021 as unsafe.

Boeing began designing the 737 in 1965. The very first 737-100 flew in 1967. It was first used by an airline in February 1968.^[4][5] The 737-200 started being used in April 1968. The -200 was basically just a longer version of the 737-100. In the 1980s Boeing made the -300, -400, and -500 models. Boeing called these models the Boeing 737 Classic series. The 737 Classics could carry more passengers, and they had new engines: CFM56 turbofans. The 737 Classic planes also had some improvements made to the wings. In the 1990s, Boeing brought out the 737 Next Generation. The 737 Next Generation planes also had redesigned wings, a better cockpit and a new cabin. The 737 Next Generation is made up of the -600, -700, -800, and -900ER models. These models go from 102 ft (31.09 m) to 138 ft (42.06 m) in length.

The 737 is the best-selling jet airliner in history.^[4] Boeing has never stopped making 737s since 1967. 7,283 aircraft have been delivered, and the 737 still has 2,759 orders that have not been delivered yet (as of August 2012^[update]).^[1] Boeing 737s are built at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington. The 737's main rival is the Airbus A320 family.^[6] On average, 1,250 737s are in the air at any time and two land or leave somewhere every five seconds.^[7]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "737 Model Orders and Deliveries data." Archived 2018-11-21 at the Wayback Machine Boeing, June 2011. Retrieved: July 25, 2011.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "737 price raised". Aviation Week. January 22, 1968. p. 31.
3. ↑ "Airliner price index". Flight International. August 10, 1972. p. 183. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Kingsley-Jones, Max. "6,000 and counting for Boeing’s popular little twinjet." Flight International, Reed Business Information, April 22, 2009. Retrieved: April 22, 2009.
5. ↑ "The Boeing 737-100/200." Airliners.net, Demand Media, Inc. Retrieved: April 22, 2009.
6. ↑ "Airbus A320 Aircraft Facts, Dates and History." Archived 2013-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Flightlevel350.com. Retrieved: May 12, 2010.
7. ↑ "The 737 Story: Little Wonder." flightglobal.com. Retrieved: January 7, 2008.