74 I Snapshot
ow 50 years old, the “Baby Boeing” is arguably
the most successful and versatile commercial
aircraft ever made. Originally intended to be a
short-range 107-seater, the B737 has developed
over the past half-century into a 180-seater jet
(the B737 Max) capable of crossing the Atlantic.
What made the B737 special was its wider cabin
(the same as the long-range B707). It enabled airlines
to install six-across (3-3) seating and carry more
passengers per flight, at a time when rivals such as the
DC-9 and BAC1-11 offered 2-3 accommodation.
As a teenager in June 1968, my first B737 flight was
Zurich-Frankfurt with Lufthansa. Over the decades,
I’ve flown B737s countless times with conventional and
low-cost carriers over a variety of routes. Before the end
of this summer, it will even be possible to fly Edinburgh-
New York non-stop in a B737 Max (with Norwegian).Main: The first
B737 Inset: The
B737 Max
businesstraveller.comN
OCTOBER 2017
The aircraft has found favour with low-cost carriers
as a true workhorse. Airlines such as Southwest and
Ryanair operate nothing but huge numbers of B737s.
Since the aircraft’s launch, Boeing has had orders
for almost 14,000 B737s from most airlines around the
world. The latest Max variants will keep its Seattle plant
busy for years to come. QThe B737
takes flight
Alex McWhirter reports on the evolution of the “Baby Boeing”, now half a century old