What is the 737 max 8?

The MAX 8 keeps the fuselage cross-section and length of the 737-800 but replaces the CFM56 with the larger, higher-bypass CFM LEAP-1B, which is why the nacelles sit further forward and higher on the pylon and the nose gear was lengthened. Split-tip winglets, a reprofiled tail cone and an electronic spoiler system complete the package. Boeing quotes a range of 3,550 nmi (6,570 km) and a typical two-class layout of about 162 seats. The flight deck was deliberately kept close to the previous generation so crews could transition with differences training rather than a full type course.

Moving the engines altered the aircraft's pitch behaviour at high angle of attack, and Boeing compensated with software: the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, which trimmed the stabiliser nose-down using data from a single angle-of-attack vane. After the loss of Lion Air flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 in March 2019, regulators grounded the type worldwide. It flew again from November 2020 with a redesigned control law that compares both vanes, revised crew procedures and mandatory simulator training.

The MAX 8 is the middle and by far the most ordered member of a family that also includes the shorter MAX 7, the stretched MAX 9 and MAX 10, and the MAX 8-200, a high-density variant built around Ryanair's requirements. It competes directly with the Airbus A320neo and entered service in May 2017 with Malindo Air. Airlines value it mainly for fuel burn per seat, which Boeing advertises as a double-digit improvement over the 737-800 it replaces on comparable sectors.