The incredible history of the Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is the best selling jetliner of all time. Through February 2018, Boeing has taken 14,545 orders for the plane. Since its debut in 1967, the 737 has become a mainstay for airlines around the world in a multitude of roles ranging from short-haul flights to work as a freighter.
The Boeing 737 is ubiquitous. If you’ve taken a commercial flight in the last 50 years, there’s good chance it was on a Boeing 737. A plane preparing to depart Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Wednesday morning slid on the taxiway before takeoff. A Southwest Airlines official said Flight 906, a Boeing 737, slid sideways on a taxiway while preparing for departure at 10 a.m.
The official said the aircraft remained on the taxiway and was being towed to a gate. Media: WBAL That’s because Boeing has sold a whole lot of them. Since 1965, the American aviation giant has sold a whopping 14,545 737s. Just this week, Boeing delivered the 10,000th 737, a new MAX 8 model, to Southwest Airlines. To put that into perspective, Boeing’s second best selling plane, the wide-body 777, has received a little less than 2,000 orders. However, it should be noted that the long-haul 777 costs several times more than the 737 and is used in different segments of the airline market. Over the years, the Boeing 737 has proven itself to be a faithful workhorse for airlines around the world. Its versatility is nothing short of astounding. What debuted in 1967 as a 50-seat regional jet has now spawned 200-plus-seat variants capable of trans-Atlantic travel. With the introduction of the MAX, Boeing’s long-serving 737 is set to fly on well past its 70th birthday.
Here’s a closer look at the incredible history of the Boeing 737: In 1964, Boeing began design work on a 50-60 seat, narrow-body airliner designed for trips between 50 and 1,000 miles in length. It would also be roughly half the size Boeing’s smallest jet at the time, the 727. Reuters/Mike Segar At the time, Boeing was best known for it larger jets like the 707 and… US Air Force/ Ken LaRock … The eight-engine B-52 bomber. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images See the rest of the story at Business Insider See Also: SEE ALSO: The next big thing in airplane tech is becoming a nightmare for some airlines
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