Commercial

Boeing 737

Manufacturer: Boeing

The Boeing 737 is a narrow‑body twin‑jet airliner built by Boeing in Renton, Washington. It was designed to replace the 727 on short routes, keeping the 707‑style fuselage width for six‑abreast seating and using two Pratt & Whitney JT8D low‑bypass turbofan engines.

Aircraft Facts

Type Key
boeing-737
Class
Commercial
Registry Count
2,838
Example Registration
N101TD

Specifications

Wingspan
28.35 m / 93 ft
Length
30.53 m / 100 ft
Height
11.23 m / 36 ft
Cruise Speed
780 km/h / 480 mph
Range
4800 km / 2600 nmi
Ceiling
11000 m / 37000 ft
First Flight
1967-04-09
Total Built
12520

Aircraft Overview

History

The 737 was conceived in 1964. The first model, the 737‑100, flew in April 1967 and entered service with Lufthansa in February 1968. A longer version, the 737‑200, followed in April 1968. The family grew through four generations—Original, Classic, Next Generation, and MAX—providing variants that seat 85 to 215 passengers. As of April 2026, 17,392 737s were ordered and 12,520 delivered.

Design

The 737 keeps the 707‑style fuselage width for six‑abreast seating. Its wings are low‑drag and carry two underwing Pratt & Whitney JT8D low‑bypass engines. Later generations use larger wings, high‑bypass CFM56 or LEAP engines, and a glass cockpit. The aircraft has a simple, common‑airframe design that allows many variants to share parts.

Variants

The 737 family has four generations: Original (737‑100/200), Classic (737‑300/400/500), Next Generation (737‑600/700/800/900), and MAX (737‑7/8/9/10 and MAX 200). Each generation introduced new engines, larger wings, and higher passenger capacity.

Operations

The 737 serves airlines worldwide on short‑to‑medium routes. It is the most delivered narrow‑body aircraft, with over 12,500 units in service. Military and business jet versions are also used. The fleet has flown more than 184 million flights and 264 million block hours.

Notable Facts

  • The first 737‑100 flew on 9 April 1967.
  • The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide from March 2019 to November 2020.
  • The 737‑200 was fitted with a gravel kit for unpaved runways.
  • Only 30 Boeing 737‑100 aircraft were built.
  • The 737‑200 Advanced variant increased payload and range by 15% over earlier models.

Variants

  • 737-8- 594 registrations - Example N105JS
  • 737-823- 278 registrations - Example N800NN
  • 737-9- 252 registrations - Example N115AM
  • 737-7H4- 241 registrations - Example N200WN
  • 737-824- 135 registrations - Example N11206
  • 737-800- 134 registrations - Example N154TS
  • 737-924ER- 130 registrations - Example N27421
  • 737-8H4- 118 registrations - Example N500WR
  • 737-900ER- 100 registrations - Example N214AK
  • 737-832- 73 registrations - Example N371DA
  • 737-932ER- 65 registrations - Example N801DZ
  • 737-890- 60 registrations - Example N506AS
  • 737-990ER- 51 registrations - Example N224AK
  • 737-724- 36 registrations - Example N13716
  • 737-7BD- 34 registrations - Example N555LV
  • 737-9GPER- 33 registrations - Example N931DQ
  • 737-7- 30 registrations - Example N7201S
  • 737-800A- 26 registrations - Example N125DS
  • 737-3H4- 18 registrations - Example N137CG
  • 737-8200- 17 registrations - Example N810MG
  • 737-10- 15 registrations - Example N27602
  • 737-790- 14 registrations - Example N607AS
  • 737-752- 13 registrations - Example N475US
  • 737-76N- 13 registrations - Example N30AS
  • 737-79P- 13 registrations - Example N7820L
  • 737-8EH- 13 registrations - Example N3408U
  • 737-7Q8- 12 registrations - Example N7859B
  • 737-86N- 12 registrations - Example N238HR
  • 737-8Q8- 12 registrations - Example N28252
  • 737-924- 12 registrations - Example N30401

Machine-Readable Resources

Sources