Boeing 737: Which airlines use the planes and is it safe to fly in one?

FLYING is the safest means of transport, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

But with a number of reported incidents involving the Boeing 737, we investigated whether it is safe to fly them and which airlines use the model.

Is it safe to fly on a Boeing 737 plane?

With one accident in every 1.26 million flights, “flying is the safest means of transport”, according to IATA.

“At this level of safety, on average, a person would have to travel by plane every day for 103,239 years to suffer a fatal accident,” the industry body added.

For comparison, there were 158 deaths worldwide due to plane crashes in 2022, with over 65,000 deaths on UK, US and EU roads in the same year.

But there is growing public concern about the safety of Boeing 737 planes.

In his 2021 book, Flying Blind: The 737 Max Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing, Peter Robison wrote: “There were 41 total accidents (including non-fatal) in 2018, and 18 of them involved the 737 – more than the number of any other plane.

“The Airbus A320 and its variants had four – although the number of planes in service was similar for each model.”

Boeing 737 Max jets were grounded around the world between March 2019 and November 2020, following two fatal accidents involving the Max 8 model.

On October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff.

All 181 passengers and eight crew on board died.

And on March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after takeoff.

Everyone on board died, including eight crew and 149 passengers.

Both tragedies were attributed in part to the aircraft’s Handling Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) – software designed to improve plane stability.

After a lengthy investigation and recertification process, which included design and software changes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) considered the safe Boeing 737 Max jets. to return to service.

There have been no issues involving MCAS since then, but Boeing was forced to pause production and delay delivery of the Max series planes due to several production issues.

Although there have been problems with other 737 models, fortunately none of them have resulted in fatalities.

On the morning of May 9, 2024, 78 passengers were forced to flee a burning Boeing 737 Transair flight after it skidded off the runway – the aircraft reportedly faced a hydraulic problem before the problematic landing at Blaise Diagne Airport in Dakar, Senegal. .

Later the same day, a United Airlines Boeing 737 with 50 passengers on board was forced into an emergency landing minutes after takeoff.

Which airlines use Boeing 737 planes?

Based on statements from the FAA and Boeing, EASA said it was “not aware” of any of its member airlines operating the ground variant of the Boeing 737 Max 9.

EASA said: “In the specific configuration covered by EAD, an intermediate cabin outlet is replaced by a plug-in panel.

“This configuration is typically adopted by airlines flying low-density operations (with lower passenger capacity) where this additional exit is not necessary to meet evacuation safety requirements.

“The 737-9 aircraft operating in Europe do not have this configuration and, therefore, are not grounded by EAD and can continue to operate normally.”

According to Cirium Fleets Analyzer, the following airlines currently have this number of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft as part of their fleet:

• United Airlines: 79
• Alaska Airlines: 65
• Copa Linhas Aéreas: 29
• Aeroméxico: 19
• Turkish Airlines: 5
• SCAT: 5
• Iceland: 4
• Leo Air: 3
• Flydubai: 3

Of more than 500 planes, Ryanair’s fleet is made up of several types of 737s, with hundreds more on order.

TUI’s fleet contains 21 of the 737 Max 8 and 30 of the 737-800.

Of Jet2’s fleet of 112 aircraft, 99 are 737s.

What did Boeing say about its 737 planes?

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun addressed the company’s employees in January 2024 at a meeting at its factory in Renton, Washington, saying the manufacturer must recognize “our mistake.”

This happened after the 737 Max 9’s cabin panel exploded during an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month.

The incident occurred as the jet climbed after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, bound for Ontario, California, on January 5.

Calhoun said: “Let’s approach this issue – number one – by acknowledging our mistake.

“We will approach this with one hundred percent and complete transparency every step of the way.”

Dozens of Max 9 planes were parked awaiting inspection after the incident.

Boeing went on to say, “We remain in close contact with our customers and the FAA on required inspections.

“As part of the process, we are making updates based on your feedback and requirements.”

In March 2024, Boeing said CNN: “Every day, more than 80 airlines operate approximately 5,000 flights with the global fleet of 1,300 737 MAX aircraft, transporting 700,000 passengers to their destinations safely.

“The in-service reliability of the 737 MAX family is above 99% and is consistent with other commercial aircraft models.”