[011118.EN.AIR] Boeing 737 That Crashed in Indonesia is Popular With Budget Carriers

THE plane that crashed into the waters off Indonesia's capital was the most recent model in Boeing 737, the company's best-selling plane and a workhorse for budget carriers, reported Bloomberg.

Lion Air took delivery of that 737 Max in August, and according to Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, had clocked 800 hours of flight time before Monday's accident.

An order backlog of over 4,000 for the 737 Max family shows the popularity of the latest version of the single-aisle jet with airlines. The model offers better fuel savings, range and reliability.

The Max can seat 230 and fly 6,110 kilometres. It's powered by the LEAP-1B engines from CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric and Safran SA.

Among the biggest buyers are Lion Air, India's SpiceJet and China Southern. Boeing 737s have had 208 hull losses since 1970, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

The aircraft competes with Airbus SE's A320neo . The first Max plane was delivered to Lion Air's unit Malindo Airways in May 2017.

Source : HKSG.