Delta has announced that it has placed an order for 100 Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft, with options for an additional 30, do be delivered between 2025 and 2029.
The long rumoured deal was announced on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow. It is set to be worth $13.5bn at list prices. The Max 10 is the latest and largest variant of Boeing’s most popular airliner product, which was launched in 2017 as a response to Airbus’ runaway success with it’s own largest single aisle jet, the A321neo. Delta Airlines already has an order for 150 of the Max 10s direct competitor, the aforementioned A321neo.
The aircraft are set to be configured with a 29% premium seating cabin, with a total of 182 seats. Delta says the aircraft’s commonality with the airlines existing 236 strong 737NG fleet is a key reason for the order.
Shaky ground for the Max 10 program
The Max 10 aircraft which is currently in its flight test program, runs the risk of being potentially cancelled altogether following the introduction of the Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act of 2020, which mandates that all aircraft certified after 31st December 2022 must be fitted with EICAS equipment, of which the Boeing 737 Max family does not.
If Boeing opts to fit EICAS to the Max 10 to meet the new regulations, it would then require different crew training to the other variants which are already in service with airlines. Seeking to avoid this possibly deal breaking move for airlines, Boeing has applied to the FAA for a waiver for the Max 10 so it wouldn’t require this change. If the waiver is denied, it is believed that Boeing may cancel the Max 10 program.
Delta have said that it may have to rethink the order if the addition of EICAS becomes mandatory, but that it has every confidence in the Max 10 program.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.
