Full-service carrier Jet Airways on Thursday announced the induction of the latest variant of the Boeing 737 single-aisle aircraft, the 737 MAX 8, with the first flight scheduled to take off from Mumbai and fly to Hyderabad on July 1.
The Naresh Goyal-promoted airline, the second largest in the domestic market, last week announced a new order for the Boeing 737MAX aircraft, taking its total to 225 such aircraft. It is believed that the airline will have a mix of 737MAX variants- 9 and 10 in its fleet as it takes the future deliveries.
The 737 single-aisle aircraft has been Jet’s workhorse ever since the airline started operations in 1994 and is also commercially the most produced aircraft from US airplane maker Boeing’s stable, with the 737MAX 8 being its latest offering to the commercial airlines.
Jet’s large order size on the single-aisle airplane type is indicative that it is planning to increase its network in Southeast Asian markets, the Middle East and also a part of the African region, as the aircraft can easily fly up to 3,500 nautical miles, making these regions within its easy flying range, a clear advantage over the 737NGs that Jet currently has.
“The 737MAX is a critical part of our strategy. The induction of this fuel-efficient aircraft will enable us to meet our strategic ambitions of growth, enhance our operations reliability and reduce costs,” said Jet Airways chief executive officer Vinay Dube.
The MAX-8 borrows a lot from the latest technology that Boeing offers to airlines on its state-of-the-art new aircraft, the Dreamliner or the 787. The aerodynamics and wing design technology gives to this aircraft fuel efficiencies of up to 15%, great savings for airlines, more so in the current environment where fuel costs are at an all-time high, and is the single largest component leading to Jet’s Q4FY18 losses of over `1,036 crore. It is fitted with the CFM LEAP-1B engine with ultra-light fan blades that gives more engine efficiencies and performance to this aircraft.
In terms of passenger comfort, a MAX is 40% more silent than the other aircraft types, translating to a quieter and comfortable flying experience. Jet has improvisd its cabins a lot to offer to passengers more comforts like extra storage in cabin bins, improved in-flight entertainment systems, better cushioned seats with a pitch varying from 40” to 29-31” in its two–class configuration of Premiere and Economy with in-built USB ports, and laptop chargers.
