What is the Boeing 737 MAX 8 like?

The 737 MAX 8, which Boeing calls the 737-8, is the core version of the fourth generation of the 737, the best-selling commercial jet in history. It keeps the 737-800's fuselage, 39.5 m long, but is fitted with two CFM LEAP-1B turbofans with a 1.76 m fan diameter, larger and more efficient than the earlier CFM56s, plus a split winglet curving up and down that brings the wingspan to 35.9 m. Boeing seats between 162 and 178 passengers in two classes, with a certified maximum of 210, and advertises a range of 6,480 km (3,500 nautical miles). The manufacturer puts the per-seat fuel-burn improvement over the 737-800 at 14%. It first flew on January 29, 2016, and entered service in May 2017.

The passenger cabin uses the Sky interior, with larger overhead bins and LED lighting, arranged 3-3 with a single aisle. The flight deck retains common type rating with earlier generations, with four large-format displays similar to the 787's, so a 737 NG pilot can fly the MAX after a differences course.

The larger, more forward-mounted engines altered the aircraft's behavior at high angles of attack, and Boeing added an automatic system, MCAS, to correct for it. That system, dependent on a single sensor and not described to pilots, caused the Lion Air 610 crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines 302 crash in March 2019, killing 346 people. The worldwide fleet was grounded from March 13, 2019, until the FAA authorized its return on November 18, 2020, after the software, sensor logic and training were redesigned. Today the 737-8 is Boeing's most-delivered model, although production remains subject to limits and enhanced FAA oversight (as of May 2026).