Boeing (BA, Financial) finally gets off the drawing board and has taken the initial step toward the production of the new 737 MAX passenger aircraft. The American aerospace giant declared on Tuesday that production of the reengineered aircraft's wings has started at the 737 manufacturing facility near Seattle. The plane is slated to enter service in 2017. Here’s what you need to know.
The 737 Max claims
Boeing claims the upgraded single-aisle airplane to help airlines lower operating costs, improve cabin comfort, as well as provide greater cabin-luggage space to their passengers. The company says that the 737 MAX shall give superior fuel economy compared with the Next-Generation 737.
The 737 MAX family shall be available in three variants. All the variants shall come with Boeing's fresh "Sky Cabin" interior. This precisely means that the plane would have bigger overhead bins with more space without protruding out as far. Among other things, Boeing’s worked on enhancing the ambiance with variable cabin lighting, and "logical" button layout. Boeing also boasts of the large windows in the reengineered plane and says that they would be 20% bigger than its European counterpart Airbus’ (EADSY, Financial) A320neo.
The 737 MAX shall have lower emissions and create far less noise. The aircraft will have better range, with maximum range of more than 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km). This is an improvement of nearly 580 nautical miles (1,074 km) over the existing Next-Generation 737. The 737 MAX would also consume 20% less fuel, resulting in significant fuel cost saving for airlines. The improvement in fuel efficiency is a consequence of aerodynamic developments in winglets and tail design. In addition, Boeing is fitting the new CFM LEAP-1B engine to the 737 MAX, which is comparatively more efficient that the current ones.
The plane maker already carries a solid order backlog of more than 2,700 for the plane.
Finally off the drawing board
Boeing told the media that production activities related to the wings of the plane started last week. The Chicago headquartered company has started assembling the wings of the airplane at Renton that shall be put through the first flight test. The Renton plant at Washington is Boeing's new panel assembly line which is semi-automated.
Structures including skin panels and stringers have been put into huge machines for required treatment followed by assembly. This signifies the first step toward delivering the reengineered plane as per schedule.
New techniques
The 737 MAX also signifies Boeing’s attempt to begin transformation in the aircraft’s production process. The manufacturing process has largely remained unchanged since the first 737 jet was launched in 1968.
Until now, the plane maker has been doing several manufacturing processes such as mating wing-skin panels and stringers manually. However, the company is working to increase reliance on automation for more processes. The Panel Assembly Line (PAL) shall be used to install rivets and fasteners. The company says that the massive machines in the assembly line would cut production time by as much as one-third besides increasing accuracy.
Takeaway
The narrow body aircraft which is built for short to medium distance routes is Boeing’s top selling plane. Its closest competing aircraft - the A320neo - is slated to hit the skies in 2017. Boeing has dispatched more than 8,500 737s since its introduction in the 1960s and has received orders for over 12,700 units. The company currently produces 42 planes per month and plans to ramp up to 52 a month by 2017.
The 737 MAX’s improved engines and better aerodynamics over current models shall keep the jet popular among airlines. Vice president and general manager of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Keith Leverkuhn said "Achieving this milestone on schedule is a testament to the success of the 737 and our integrated design-and-build team."
