Developed to supplement the 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage cross-section and nose with two underwing turbofans. Envisioned in 1964, the initial 737-100 made its first flight in April 1967 and entered service in February 1968 with Lufthansa. The lengthened 737-200 entered service in April 1968. It evolved through four generations, offering several variants for 85 to 215 passengers. The initial concept featured podded engines on the aft fuselage, a T-tail as with the 727, and five-abreast seating, but engineer Joe Sutter instead placed the engines under the wings to lighten the structure and enabling the fuselage to be widened to six-abreast seating. As of December 2019, 15,156 Boeing 737s have been ordered and 10,571 delivered. Initially, its main competitor was the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, followed by its MD-80/MD-90 derivatives. It was the highest-selling commercial aircraft until being surpassed by the competing Airbus A320 family in October 2019, but maintaining the record in total deliveries. The current 737 MAX, designed to compete with the A320neo was grounded worldwide in March 2019 following two fatal crashes. For more information, including the many models and variants, click here. Specifications below are for models 737-600/-700/-800/-900
