A better 73

Boeing tweaks its narrowbody favourite

Just days after it delivered the 6000th 737, Boeing announced a package of performance and interior improvements to update and refresh its single-aisle stalwart – promising reduced fuel burn and increased passenger appeal.

Boeing handed over the 6000th 737 (pictured above) – leased by low cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle from ILFC – at its Boeing Field, Seattle facility on April 16. Then two weeks later on April 29 it revealed aerodynamic and engine improvements that will cut fuel burn by two per cent, plus the new ‘Boeing Sky’ interior, which draws on the design philosophies of the 787’s interior. These small but meaningful enhancements, and the aircraft’s 2200+ strong order backlog (which has thus far proved resilient despite the global recession), illustrates just how much life there is left in the 737, despite the original design first flying in 1967 and the current Next Generation series entering service in 1998.