Blue Air has taken delivery of its 5th Boeing 737-8 MAX. The brand-new aircraft (registration: YR-MXE) arrived on December 18th and was put into service on the very same day, flying from Bucharest to Stockholm. This is the 5th MAX Blue Air has received this year, with the airline expecting five more MAXs by the end of 2022.

Blue Air receives 5th MAX 8

Romanian carrier Blue Air has received its 5th new 737-8 MAX and already entered the plane into service. The airline received YR-MXE on December 18th and flew the aircraft on its Bucharest-Stockholm service on the same day.

Krassimir Tanev, Chief Commercial Officer at Blue Air, said,

"We are thrilled to welcome the new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, registered YR-MXE, in the Blue Air fleet, an event that we celebrated with our passengers on its first Otopeni – Stockholm flight and which we still celebrate today in the Blue Air family with a Christmas Special Flight for our colleagues and their families."

According to flight data from RadarBox.com, the 737 MAX departed from Boeing Field Airport in Seattle on December 17th. It stopped off at Reykjavik Airport on its way to Bucharest Otopeni Airport, arriving in Romania at 15:42 EET.

The new MAX 8 entered service on the same day of delivery. Flight data: RadarBox.com

Less than four hours later, the MAX was operating its first commercial service, flying from Bucharest to Stockholm. The aircraft was in the air for two hours and 45 minutes, landing in Stockholm at 20:49 CET. It departed on the return leg just an hour later, arriving back in Bucharest at 01:30 EET.

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Fleet renewal progressing well

Blue Air now has five brand-new Boeing 737-8 MAXs in its fleet. As Simple Flying reported, the carrier received its first MAX in April as part of an agreement with Air Lease Corp (ALC) for 10 737-8 MAXs.

According to Blue Air, the MAX is, "more sustainable, quieter and more environmentally friendly, offers lower operating and maintenance costs and is a key pillar of Blue Air’s fleet renewal and long-term competitiveness strategy."

Blue Air welcomed its first new MAX 8 in April. Photo: Blue Air

Initially, the airline announced an agreement with Boeing at the Paris Air Show 2017 to purchase six 737-8 MAXs which it would own outright. However, Blue Air canceled its deal in the fallout of the MAX grounding and struck a deal with ALC to lease 10 MAXs long-term.

Tanev added,

"YR-MXE is our fifth Boeing MAX aircraft and represents a new step forward in our fleet renewal process, supporting the promise of becoming Romanians’ airline of choice, and offering enhanced comfort and a pleasant flying experience for our customers."

Five more 737-8 MAXs on the way

Blue Air has now received five out of ten MAX-8s from its lease agreement with ALC. According to the airline, it expects to receive all ten planes by the end of 2022. Prior to acquiring its new MAX-8s, Blue Air operated an aging fleet of Boeing 737-300, -400, -500 and -800 aircraft. Its oldest plane, a 737-300, was over 33 years old by the time it was retired.

Blue Air is phasing out its aging all-Boeing fleet. Photo: George Groutas via Wikimedia Commons

The airline is the only Romanian carrier to operate the 737-8-MAX. Blue Air deploys the MAX on its most popular European routes, including Milan Linate, London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Barcelona, ​​Lisbon and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Onboard a Blue Air MAX, passengers can enjoy features including comfortable seats, USB chargers, power sockets, hangers and adjustable headrests.

Have you flown on one of Blue Air's MAXs yet? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments.