Boeing celebrated a major milestone for the world's best-selling passenger jet today as it delivered its 8,000th 737, a 737-900ER today to United Airlines.
Beverly Wyse, vice president and general manager, 737 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes said:
"The 737 program continues to innovate with new features and technology, meeting the needs of our customers now and into the future. Boeing has a long and treasured history with United Airlines, and we're proud they're taking delivery of this milestone airplane."
United was the launch customer for the 737-200 and has taken delivery of 550 737s since 1967. Ron Baur, vice president of fleet, United Airlines said:
"We're thrilled to celebrate this huge achievement with Boeing. The 737 has been an integral part of our narrowbody fleet and we are pleased to continue this tradition by being the North American launch customer for the new 737 MAX 9."
Split scimitar winglet on a United Airlines 737. Photo by United Continental Holdings
United was also the first customer for the split scimitar winglet, which is the latest fuel-saving device offered by Boeing. Alaska and Southwest now also have these winglets on 737s in their fleet.
Boeing's current generation of 737s, the "Next Generation" line, is the third 737 generation though they've all been based on the same fuselage design. Boeing boasts a backlog of over 3,700 737s on order, including 1,934 for the new 737-MAX which is scheduled to be delivered in 2017. The company currently produces 42 737s per month from its Renton, Washington factory with plans to ramp up to 47 per month in 2017.