by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:32 PM ET, Mon March 19, 2018
Boeing announced its new 737 MAX 7 airplane successfully completed its first flight Friday, marking a successful beginning for a comprehensive flight test program.
Once the plane's testing period is completed, the 737 MAX 7 will be certified and Boeing will begin making deliveries in 2019. The new aircraft is the third member of Boeing's 737 MAX family and will have a maximum capacity of 172 passengers.
The MAX 7 has a range of 3,850 nautical miles, which is the longest of any MAX family airplane, and it was designed for airline customers flying out of airports at high altitudes and hot climates.
Friday's successful test was piloted by Boeing Test and Evaluation Captains Jim Webb and Keith Otsuka, who flew the plane on a three-hour, five-minute flight. The aircraft was put through tests on its flight controls, as well as checks of its systems and handling qualities.
"Everything we saw during today's flight shows that the MAX 7 is performing exactly as designed," 737 MAX program general manager Keith Leverkuhn said in a statement. "I know our airline customers are going to enjoy the capabilities this airplane will bring to their fleets."
"The MAX 7 will provide airlines an efficient product for opening and flying thinner markets and accessing challenging airports, while enjoying all the benefits of being part of the 737 MAX family," Boeing vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth said in a statement.
For airlines, the new Boeing MAX 7 offers superior performance to the competition, carrying 12 more passengers 400 nautical miles farther than the Airbus A319neo, with seven percent lower fuel costs.
In total, the 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 4,300 orders from 93 customers worldwide.
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