Boeing 737 - Overview

The Boeing 737 is the most popular and longest-running jetliner series built by Boeing. It was first introduced in the 1960s as a short-to-medium-range aircraft meant to complement the larger 707 and 727 models. Boeing was developing its first narrowbody twin-engine aircraft to fill the growing demand for regional and national flights. The initial design of the aircraft focused more on merging the state-of-the-art technology available in the early era of low-bypass turbofan engines with an aluminum lightweight fuselage to provide both great efficiency and performance.

Lufthansa was announced as the Boeing 737-100 launch customer with an order of 21. Boeing 737 made its first flight on April 9, 1967, and entered service with Lufthansa on February 10, 1968.

The initial two variants, the 737-100 and 737-200, set the ground for the series that, in the years to come, would receive updates ranging from Classic and Next Generation (NG) to the 737 MAX. Each upgrade focused on making the aircraft more efficient and increasing the performance capacity as the 737 tried to become a multi-role aircraft for airlines, with Boeing having delivered more than 10,000 units of the type.

The Boeing 737 series continues to be vital to airlines' short and medium-haul markets. The new variants of the aircraft incorporate technology such as winglets, better engines, and aerodynamic improvements.