Several operators around the world have grounded their Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after the second Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash in only five months. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has requested Chinese airlines to suspend the operation of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft over safety concerns.
Currently, there are approximately 350 737 MAX aircraft in operation. However, Boeing has received more than 5,000 737 MAX orders from over 100 customers around the globe. In fact, the 737 MAX is Boeing's fastest-selling aircraft ever.
The current average price of the aircraft is $99.7 million for the 737 MAX 7, $121.6 million for the 737 MAX 8, $128.9 million for the 737 MAX 9, and $134.9 million for the 737 MAX 10.
What airlines have the Boeing 737 MAX on order?
Based on information provided by Boeing, as of the end of January 2019, there were 4,661 unfilled orders for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Even though leasing companies have placed many of these orders, over 2,400 of them were made by airlines. There are also 1,045 orders from unidentified customers.
Let's take a look at the list of airlines awaiting delivery of the aircraft. (This list contains open orders for all members of the 737 MAX family, not broken down by type.)
Customer |
Number of Aircraft on Order |
Aerolineas Argentinas |
9 |
Aeromexico |
55 |
Air Canada |
41 |
Air Europa |
20 |
Air Niugini |
4 |
Air Peace |
10 |
Alaska Airlines |
32 |
American Airlines |
78 |
Arik Air |
8 |
Blue Air |
6 |
China Southern Airlines |
34 |
Comair Limited |
8 |
Copa Airlines |
56 |
Donghai Airlines |
25 |
Enter Air |
4 |
Ethiopian Airlines |
25 |
Fiji Airways |
3 |
flydubai |
237 |
Garuda Indonesia |
49 |
GOL Linhas Aereas |
129 |
Icelandair |
2 |
Jeju Air |
40 |
Jet Airways |
125 |
Jetlines |
5 |
Korean Air |
30 |
Lion Air |
187 |
Malaysia Airlines |
25 |
Nok Air |
6 |
Norwegian Air Shuttle |
92 |
Okay Airways |
9 |
Oman Air |
20 |
Ruili Airlines |
36 |
Ryanair |
135 |
SilkAir |
32 |
SkyUp Airlines |
7 |
Smartwings |
7 |
Southwest Airlines |
249 |
SpiceJet |
129 |
SunExpress Airlines |
32 |
TAROM Romanian Air Transport |
5 |
TUI Travel |
61 |
Turkish Airlines |
68 |
Turkmenistan Airlines |
3 |
United Airlines |
124 |
UTair Aviation |
28 |
VietJet Air |
100 |
Virgin Australia Airlines |
40 |
WestJet Airlines |
43 |
As we can see, among the airlines, Southwest Airlines has the most open orders with 249. Southwest is closely followed by Dubai's low-cost carrier flydubai, who are awaiting the delivery of 237 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Lion Air comes in at number three with 187 open orders.
Will some airlines cancel their orders due to safety concerns?
Reportedly, Lion Air was thinking about canceling $22 billion worth of Boeing 737 MAX orders after the crash, because the airline felt "betrayed." Nonetheless, the airline has not canceled any orders to date.
According to the Malaysian newspaper Malay Mail, Malaysian Airlines has not made 'any immediate decision on whether [the airline] will continue with its purchase for the Boeing 737 MAX 8 after [the] second crash'. Currently, the airline does not have any 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet, although they are expecting the first to be delivered next year
There are no official reports of other airlines weighing their options yet.
Do you think that airlines will cancel their orders for the aircraft after the two crashes?