Norwegian May Get Airplanes For Transatlantic Service In March

The Boeing 737 MAX flight test program is running ahead of schedule, and that may mean an earlier delivery date than was originally scheduled for Southwest next summer.

Leeham News and Comment relays a report from Flight International that Boeing may be ready to deliver the 737 MAX 8 in March of 2017, and the first carrier to fly the aircraft might be Norwegian. If so, the first routes for the 737 MAX could be trans-Atlantic.

Leeham had reported in 2014 that the 737 MAX 8 might be a good replacement for the planemakers 757-200W for those Atlantic crossings. The airplane would need to be configured with a light cabin, according to the report, with seats that are not quite so close together.

The still-air range for the 737 MAX 8 is 3,400 nautical miles with 168 seats divided into 18 Premium Economy and 150 economy. The Dublin-Boston route is 2,600 nm, and Dublin-New York is 2,800 nm. Flying from London is about 3,100 nm, so that could be a little more challenging during the winter when winds are stronger out of the west.

Norwegian has 108 737 MAX 8 airplanes on order, and they said when the order was placed that some of them could be used for trans-Atlantic service on appropriate routes. The company's Chief Commercial Officer told Flight International that it now plans to use the six 737 MAX 8 airplanes it will acquire next year on those shorter trans-Atlantic routes with service to start in June.

(Image provided by Boeing)

FMI: www.norwegian.com