Boeing Delivers First 737 MAX 9 To Lion Air

Boeing delivered the first 737 MAX 9 on Wednesday, to Lion Air, with the aircraft due to enter service with its Thai Lion Air unit.

The additional capacity of the MAX 9 will help the airline launch several international routes, Boeing said.

“The 737 has been the backbone of our business since we began and we will use the added capacity the airplane provides to expand our network and start additional routes to Bangladesh, China and India,” the airline’s chief executive Darsito Hendro Seputro said.

In addition to being the MAX 9’s launch customer, Lion Air was also the first operator to put the aircraft’s smaller sister, the MAX 8, into commercial service with its Malaysia unit Malindo Air.

The 737 MAX 9 is designed for a capacity of up to 220 passengers and a maximum range of 3,550 nautical miles.

Lion Air Group has an additional 200 737 MAXs on order, and announced a commitment for 50 of the largest member of the MAX family, the MAX 10, at last year’s Paris Air Show.