Qatar Airways has taken delivery of its very first Boeing 737 MAX. The aircraft, a MAX 8, departed Everett Paine Field on April 13th for its lengthy ferry service to the airline's Doha base. The incoming MAX 8s, some of which were ordered by Russia's S7, should be replacing the airline's older Airbus A320-200s and will operate shorter international flights.

Aircraft and delivery flight details

The airframe that will be Qatar Airways' very first Boeing 737 MAX is now registered A7-BSC. Prior to having a Qatari registration, the jet had test registration N4022T but was supposed to eventually take registration VP-BXJ. Its manufacturer's serial number (MSN) is 43329, with Line No. 8134. Planespotters.net data indicates that this aircraft is configured with eight seats in business and another 168 in economy class.

According to Aviation Flights (formerly BOE Family Flights), this aircraft was initially ordered by Russia's S7 Airlines and had its first flight on December 10th, 2021. As Russia delayed re-certifying the MAX, the aircraft was sent straight to storage before performing subsequent test flights across February, March, and April 2023. In total, the jet had amassed approximately eight-and-a-half hours of test-flight time across seven flights.

The ferry flight began with A7-BSC departing Everett Paine Field at 09:36 local time on April 13th, flying to Iceland's Keflavik airport for a technical stop to refuel. It is set to continue onwards to Doha to be received by Qatar Airways, scheduled to depart KEF later this evening.

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Aircraft initially ordered by S7

As we mentioned in an April 2nd article, at least nine of Qatar Airways 'new' 737 MAX 8s will come from an order placed by Russia's S7. In addition to A7-BSC, the other S7-affiliated jets are as follows:

• A7-BSA (ex VP-BXE)
• A7-BSB (ex VP-BXI)
• A7-BSD (ex VP-BXK)
• A7-BSE (ex registration unknown)
• A7-BSF (ex VP-BXF)
• A7-BSG (ex VP-BXM)
• A7-BSH (ex VP-BXG)
• A7-BSI (ex VP-BXH)

Of course, these S7-ordered aircraft have been made undeliverable due to sanctions prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Flying alongside the Airbus A320-200

The 737 MAX 8 will fly alongside Qatar Airways' Airbus A320-200 aircraft. The airline currently operates 29 of these Airbus aircraft, with its oldest being about 13-and-a-half years of age. Its youngest A320-200 is seven-and-a-half years at the time of publication. Overall, the A320-200 fleet has an average age of nearly 11 years.

Since a core concern of Qatar Airways is having a young and modern fleet of aircraft, the A320s are 'aging out' of the airline's preferred age. Thus, the 737 MAX will help Qatar Airways achieve and maintain its goal of operating a young fleet of aircraft.

Current destinations where the A320-200 is deployed are numerous. However, examining the furthest destinations on FlightRadar24.com, we can see that the Airbus narrowbody flies as far as Zagreb (Croatia), Zanzibar (Tanzania), Hyderabad (India), and Tbilisi (Georgia). Perhaps, in time, we'll see the MAX 8 operating routes like these as well.

At the time of publication, the 737 MAX remains absent from the "Fleet" page of Qatar Airways' website.

Are you looking forward to Qatar Airways beginning Boeing 737 MAX operations? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Sources: Aviation Flights, Planespotters.net, FlightRadar24.com

• 

  Qatar Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  QR/QTR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Doha Hamad International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1993

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Akbar Al Baker

  Country:

  Qatar