Air Canada today confirmed its order for the Boeing 737 MAX series Aircraft as part of its fleet renewal.
Air Canada Boeing 737MAX Renderings – Rendering The Boeing Company.
The order is for an initial 61 aircraft made up of:
- 33 Boeing 737 MAX 8
- 28 Boeing 737 MAX 9
Air Canada hold 18 options and 30 purchase rights with Boeing for additional 737 MAX series aircraft.
The planes will be powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines which are up to 15% more efficient than the existing CFM engines installed aboard the A320s Air Canada has. Combined with the lower maintenance bills, this should make the 737 MAX aircraft cheaper to operate than the existing aircraft.
All this means less fuel consumed, which should translate into savings to the airline. If we’ll get those savings as passengers is another matter.
Meanwhile, whilst the exact internal configuration of these aircraft is to be decided in terms of seating, the plane will be fitted out with Boeing’s Sky Interior.
Whilst this is nice in theory, passengers should expect a tighter squeeze down the back of the plane – whilst the Airbus short-haul aircraft have 17.8″ seat width, Boeing short aircraft operate a tighter 17.2″ seat.
0.6″ of an inch doesn’t sound much, but its a chunk of shoulder room.
For those expecting to see the 737 MAX in the air, the first flight will be due in 2016, with deliveries to customers commencing in Q3 2017. Air Canada will have a wait though as there are over 1,900 737 MAXs on order….
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