BOEING Co.’s newest 737 jetliner gunned its engines and headed into rain-streaked skies on Friday, with profit and pride riding on its wings.
The aerospace company’s fortunes depend on a smooth market debut for the 737 Max next year with initial customer Southwest Airlines Co. The maiden flight took place days ahead of schedule, a contrast to Boeing’s delay-plagued 787 Dreamliner.
Workers and customers in rain ponchos and hats bearing the 737’s signature teal color scheme were on hand for the takeoff of the plane, christened “The Spirit of Renton,” a reference to the Seattle suburb where Boeing has made single-aisle aircraft since the 1950s. “It is an emotional experience,” Keith Leverkuhn, a Boeing vice president and general manager of the 737 Max program, said after the plane was airborne. “Someone said these things are like comet sightings. They don’t happen very often and when they do, it’s very, very special.”
The latest version of the half-century-old jet took off at 9:46 a.m. outside Seattle and flew laps over western Washington, before landing at 12:32 pm. Three other planes under construction also will be used for flight tests this year.
Deadline targets
The first flight is the culmination of years of effort for Boeing workers and a heart-pounding moment for executives who have pledged to airlines that the single-aisle jet will meet performance and deadline targets.
Any missteps in the Max’s development could be costly to Boeing as it tries to cut into the sales lead held by Airbus Group SE’s revamped A320neo. The new 737 is coming online as Boeing counts on a series of record-setting increases for single-aisle production to counteract revenue lost from production cuts to the 777 and 747 jets, its highest-priced commercial aircraft.
The Max already is Boeing’s all-time best-seller, with 3,072 orders. It’s the latest model in the narrow-body family that is the plane maker’s largest source of profit, and arguably its most valuable asset.
Image credits: AP