RENTON, Wash. -- The Boeing Company rolled out the first of its 737 MAX jetliners on Tuesday in Renton.
The MAX is already the fastest selling airplane in the company's long history.
The new version of Boeing's workhorse single-aisle jet features larger more fuel efficient engines and a more aerodynamic design in the fuselage and wingtips, and promises to be 14% more fuel efficient over the current "Next Generation" model 737 it will eventually replace.
The MAX gets much of its better fuel economy from new LEAP 1B engines made by CFM, a company jointly owned by General Electric and SNECMA of France. But a new large double winglet design to reduce drag, a sculpted tail, will also save fuel. Fly by wire spoilers and redesigned and bigger cockpit displays help distinguish the MAX from its older cousins.
"We would say a percent of fuel burn is half a million dollars over 10 years. So when you take 14%, that's a significant improvement," said Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager for the 737 MAX.
The MAX was announced back in 2011, and since Boeing began taking orders, airlines have put money down for nearly 3,000 of the jets.
But Boeing is playing catchup with Airbus. The other large jet builder that announced a new engine option for the competing A320 series airplanes more than a year earlier than the max, giving it a head start in the market where airlines are demanding more and more fuel efficiency.
"Since the MAX has been available, we've been splitting the market share," said Leverkuhn. "So very comportable with the way the market is responding to the MAX."
Four 737 MAX-8 aircraft will take to the skies starting in early 2016 for the flight test program. The second and third MAX aircraft are now on their own new dedicated assembly line inside Boeing's Renton factory.
Boeing will build the first 737 MAXs exclusively on a new production line until the assembly process is perfected, while ramping up 737 production overall.
Boeing said it remains on schedule to fly the 737 MAX for the first time early next year and deliver to its first customer, Southwest Airlines, in the third quarter of 2017.
(Keep scrolling to read more.)
The company also predicts the increased production rates will mean possibly more jobs in the future. For incoming machinists, that means a bright future in aerospace.
Instructors at Renton Technical College say they are also having to adapt to a more efficient production rate.
"As Boeing provides more job openings, people are just jumping at the chance," said Jay Kissinger, professor at RTC.
An estimated 55% of Boeing jobs are filled by technical college workers.
