Skift Take
The Boeing 737 Max 9 is one of the least popular aircraft in the 737 Max family, but some carriers, like United and Alaska, operate a significant number.
After a section of an Alaska Airlines jet fell off, Boeing’s 737 plane is once again under scrutiny.
The specific model involved in the Alaska accident is the 737 Max 9, one of four Max subtypes Boeing sells to airlines around the world. Two of them, the 737 Max 7 and 737 Max 10, are awaiting FAA certification.
Another, the 737 Max 8, was involved in two fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, which led the FAA to ground the aircraft for over two years. Since the FAA recertified the 737 Max 8 in November 2020, there have been no notable incidents with the aircraft.
While the 737 Max is one of Boeing's best-selling planes, the 737-9 is one of its least popular versions, primarily because the aircraft is not that much larger than the 737-8. The 737-9 has roughly 10 more seats than the 737-8 (220 versus 210), so most airlines opt for the 737-8 or the substantially larger 737-10, which has 230 seats.
There are 215 of the 737-9, flown by Alaska and United Airlines in the U.S.,