Which airlines have the largest Boeing 737 MAX fleets?

Since the early 2020s, aircraft manufacturers have suffered up to 400 aircraft cancellations. Although the trend can be entirely attributed to the ongoing pandemic, the grounding of the B737 MAX is believed to be a determining factor. Of all the cancellations, the 737 MAX only accounts for 313 of them. However, up to the complete grounding of the aircraft type, Boeing had already delivered 387 aircraft of the variant.

Largest 737 MAX fleets

The 737 Max was destined to be the next big thing on the narrow-body aircraft market. The type of aircraft was the result of Boeing’s attempt to compete with the fuel-efficient Airbus A320neos. Since its introduction in 2017, the plane has attracted several airlines worldwide. Prior to grounding in early 2019, the 737 MAX had already received over 4,000 orders.

As of now, the airlines with the largest 737 MAX fleets are as follows:

1. Southwest Airlines: The 737 MAX’s largest operator, Southwest has 34 such aircraft. It was also the customer with the highest number of orders (280). Initially, the airline expected to receive 41 more MAX planes in 2019, and another 38 in 2020. Southwest will now not take more than 48 planes until the end of 2021.
2. Air Canada: The Canadian flag carrier has 24 aircraft of the type in its fleet. It is still waiting for the delivery of 12 more. Recently, the airline had reduced the number of orders from 61 to 50. It is speculated that the airline may be looking for alternative types of aircraft.
3. American airlines: American Airlines had a huge order for 100 737 MAX. I had already received 24 of these before the guy grounding.
4. South China Airlines: The Chinese airline had a relatively small order for the type of aircraft. It already owns 24. The remaining order for 64 aircraft was suspended by the airline in August 2019. With a huge fleet of more than 800 aircraft, the 737 MAX ground connections have not caused a serious business problem for the carrier.
5. Air China: He has 16 aircraft of the type. It was the first airline in the world to suspend operations of the 737 MAX after the Ethiopian Airlines accident.
6. Other airlines: Lion Air (10), Hainan Airlines (11), SpiceJet (13), Norwegian Air Sweden (13), Turkish (12), United (14), WestJet (13) and flydubai (14).

Facing problems

Airlines that relied heavily on the B737 MAX have faced serious financial problems since their grounding. Many airlines were forced to cut routes and search for alternative types of aircraft. In addition, airlines are spending huge sums of money on logistics and maintaining the fleet on the ground. Although Boeing is paying airlines various amounts in compensation, it is highly unlikely that it will cover the money they could have earned if the MAX were operational.

Possible resumption

Boeing conducted some test flights of the variant in the past week. The new flight control software is believed to fix the long-standing problem, and the aircraft could resume service by the end of the year. The final decision rests with the Federal Aviation Administration for U.S. recertification.

Have you ever flown on the B737 MAX? Let us know in the comments.