by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:35 AM ET, Tue January 26, 2021
Alaska Airlines announced it accepted the delivery of its first Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane on Sunday.
The carrier's first 737-9 was flown from the Boeing Delivery Center at Boeing Field in Seattle to Alaska's hangar at Sea-Tac International Airport with a small group of the airline's top leadership on board.
The new plane is expected to enter passenger service on March 1 with daily roundtrip flights between Seattle and San Diego, and Seattle and Los Angeles. Alaska officials said the company's second 737-9 is scheduled to enter service in March.
"We've eagerly waited for this day. It was a proud moment to board our newest 737 aircraft and fly it home," Alaska Airlines President Ben Minicucci said. "This plane is a significant part of our future. We believe in it, we believe in Boeing and we believe in our employees who will spend the next five weeks in training to ensure we're ready to safely fly our guests."
Before the new planes can enter service, Alaska will be required to train maintenance technicians, fly more than 50 hours as part of proving flights and ensure eight hours of MAX-specific, computer-based training for each pilot.
In December, Alaska announced a restructured order agreement to receive a total of 68 Boeing 737-9 MAX in the next four years, with options for an additional 52 planes. The airline is scheduled to receive 13 planes this year, 30 in 2022, 13 in 2023 and 12 in 2024.
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