The Southwest 737 MAX 8 aircraft that rolled out of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington marked a historic occasion, it was the 10,000th 737 jet to be produced. The Guinness World Records’ team officially renewed their recognition of the 737 as the world’s most produced commercial jet aircraft model. Boeing was first awarded the title in 2006 when the 5,000th 737 was completed in Renton. Think about that for a minute, it took Boeing just 12 years to build the same number of 737s that it did during the aircraft’s first 39 years.
“The speed at which Boeing achieved this new milestone is very impressive,” Michael Empric, official adjudicator for Guinness World Records, said in a news release. “We are excited to once again recognize the 737 and the important role it plays in commercial aviation.”
Southwest said that they will make a $10K contribution to Boeing’s employee community fund to celebrate the occasion.
“This incredible milestone is a testament to the work we do every day to build the most reliable and efficient single-aisle airplane in the world,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Kevin McAllister. “It represents more than 50 years of success and achievement on the part of thousands of Boeing employees past and present, our supplier partners, and our airline customers around the globe who put their confidence in the 737.”
The title may be taken by Airbus in a few years as the A320 just delivered its 8,000th plane and has a current backlog of over 6,000 planes. Boeing will increase 737 production from the current rate of 47 airplanes per month to 52 airplanes per month later this year. The 737 program has more than 4,600 airplanes still on order fueled by sales of the newest version of the 737, the 737 MAX. Who will be first to 15,000?
737 Facts
- A 737 takes off or lands every 1.5 seconds
- On average, more than 2,800 737s are in the air at any given time
- More than 22 billion people have flown on a 737
- The 737 has flown more than 122 billion miles, the equivalent of 5 million times around Earth
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1 comment
This is silly. Surely 9,999 was also a record if 10,000 is…and 10,001 will be another record. Will they celebrate that too? Round numbers are arbitrary markers, just like birthdays.