Boeing has delivered the last ever Boeing 737 ‘Next Generation’ (NG) to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The Boeing 737-8K2 is registered as PH-BCL, and flew from the production facility in Seattle to Amsterdam on 18th December 2019. The aircraft carries Line Number 7,542 and joins KLM’s 737NG fleet made up of 16 -700, 31 -800 and five -900 aircraft.
This 737 was originally scheduled for delivery in July, however due to a manufacturing fault by the fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems, the fuselage had to be scrapped and a replacement was manufactured.
The 737NG is the precursor to the troubled 737 MAX which is currently grounded worldwide, with production due to be suspended in January. Four versions, the 737-600, -700, -800 and -900 are part of the Boeing 737NG program, with over 7,000 deliveries in total. Almost 5,000 Boeing 737-800 series aircraft have been built, making it the most prolific variant of Boeing’s only single aisle airliner family currently in production. The very first version of the 737, the 737-100, first flew in 1967. Since then, the US-American aircraft manufacturer has continued development of the plane, with the 737NG being the third generation.
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.
