Alaska Airlines has received its first Boeing 737 Max 8, an aircraft with sufficient range to enable the carrier to launch new transcontinental routes.
Seattle-based Alaska said on 4 January it had received the first of the type, though Cirium’s fleet database shows Boeing delivered the aircraft – registration N801AK– to Alaska on 27 December.
The airline already operates the larger 737 Max 9 and holds unfilled orders for another 79 Max jets – a mix of Max 8s, Max 9s and Max 10s, according to Cirium.
Alaska anticipates receiving its first Max 10 in 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to certificate that variant.
“The addition of the 737-8 and eventually the 737-10 to our fleet creates new opportunities for us to fly longer nonstop routes and maximise our revenue,” says Alaska senior vice-president of fleet, finance and alliances Nat Pieper.
Boeing’s 737 Max 8 has 3,500nm (6,482km) of range, compared to the Max 9’s 3,300nm range and the Max 10’s 3,100nm range. Alaska’s Max 8s will have 159 seats, while its Max 9s will have 178 seats and its Max 10s will have 190 seats.
The company will use its incoming Max 8s to launch new, longer-distance routes, including the 2,942nm run between Anchorage and New York’s John F Kennedy International airport, which it intends to begin operating on 13 June.
“Anchorage-JFK… will become the longest flight Alaska operates, creating nonstop convenience between two of the most popular cities in our network,” Alaska says.
The airline became an all-737 operator last year after removing the last of its Airbus A320-family jets from service. Alaska had acquired those aircraft via its 2016 purchase of now-defunct Virgin America.
Alaska’s fleet now stands at 231 in-service jets, including 165 737NGs, 65 737 Max 9s and the single Max 8.
The carrier holds outstanding orders with Boeing for nine Max 8s, 27 Max 9s and 43 Max 10s, Cirium shows. Alaska also holds options and purchase rights with Boeing to order another 105 of the narrowbodies.
The airline expects to receive another seven 737 Max 8s this year. It anticipates receiving 15-25 Max of all variants annually though 2027.
