Boeing 737-900

Type (Muster)
Single-aisle airliner (Verkehrsflugzeug)

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group
PO Box 3707
Seattle, WA 98124

Phone: 001-206/237-2121
Fax: 001-206/237-1706

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 2
Passengers (Passagiere): 170 or 177 in two-class arrangement (12 first class four-abreast at 91 cm pitch plus 165 economy at 81 cm pitch) or up to 189 in all economy
Cargo (Fracht): 51,9 cu m of lower hold volume

Power plant (Antrieb): 2 x CFM International CFM56-7B
Thrust (Schub): 2 x 121,3 kN (27300 lbs)

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 42,11 m
Height (Höhe): 12,57 m
Span (Spannweite): 34,29 m
Wing area (Flügelfläche): 125 sq m

Cabin width (Kabinenbreite): 3,53 m
Cabin height (Kabinenhöhe): 2,13 m

Weights (Massen)
Typical operating weight empty (Einsatz-Leermasse): 42460 kg
Max. fuel (Max. Kraftstoff): 26035 litres
Max. zero-fuel weight (max. Masse ohne Kraftstoff): 62730 kg
Max. take-off weigth (Max. Startmasse): 74240 kg standard, 79010 as an option
Max. landing weight (Max. Landemasse): 66360 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Max. speed (max. Fluggeschwindigkeit): Mach 0.82
Normal cruise speed (Reisegeschwindigkeit): Mach 0.785 / 850 km/h
Cruise altitude (Reiseflughöhe): up to 12495 m (41000 ft)
Design range (Reichweite): 5085 km

Price (Kosten)
In 2000, Boeing quoted a lsit price of 56 to 64 million US Dollars.
This is up on the 1999 list price of 53,5 to 61,0 million US-Dollars. In 1998, the price was from 50,5 to 57,5 million US-Dollars.

Customers (Kunden)
By the time of the roll-out in July 2000, there were orders for 46 Boeing 737-900s This was essentially unchanged by the time of certification in April 2001. Customers include:

Alaska Airlines: 13 plus 10 options (launch customer in November 1997. Received first aircraft on 16 May 2001. All are to follow until April 2003)
Continental Airlines: 15 and 15 options (announced 18 March 1998 as conversion form 737 options. Delivery from May 2001, with ten planned in 2001 and five in 2002)
KLM: 4 (announced September 7, 1998 at the Farnborough Air Show. First European customer. Deliveries are planned for the summer and fall of 2001. The package is valued at approximately 230 million US-Dollars.)
Korean Air: 16 firm and 5 options

Competitors (Konkurrenz)
Airbus A321-200

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The 737-900 is the largest 737 yet and the fourth member of the "New Generation"-family (737-600/700/800). Boeing cliams the lowest operating cost per seat of any single-aisle airplane in its class.
Compared with the 737-800, the next longest model, the -900 features

a strengthened nose landing gear
a forward fuselage plug of 1,37 m
an aft fuselage plug of 1,07 m
a strengthened center fuselage body section
a revised tailskid
a strengthened horizontal tail

Empty weight is increased by about 1380 kg. Together with more drag, this cuts range by roughly 370 km, but it is still well within US-transcontinental requirements.

History (Geschichte)
The Boeing Company Board of Directors authorized the go-ahead for the program based on an order from Alaska Airlines for 10 aircraft and ten options, placed on November 10, 1997.
Roll out of the first 737-900 was celebrated at Renton on Sunday, 23 July 2000, on the eve of the Farnborough air show.
The 737-900 took to the skies over Washington state on August 3, 2000 on its maiden flight. It rolled down the runway at the Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash., then took off at 10:06 a.m. PDT, flying north over Lake Washington. Boeing Capts. Mike Carriker and Mark Feuerstein flew the airplane, west toward the Pacific Ocean, then flew south to Astoria, Ore., and back and forth over Washington State's Olympic Peninsula before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. During the 2-hour 58-minute flight, Carriker and Feuerstein conducted a series of tests on the airplane's systems and structures.
At this time it was planned that until February 2001, this airplane and one other 737-900 flight-test aircraft should complete an estimated 380 flight-test hours and 120 ground-test hours. In the end, far more work was necessary, mainly due to the discovery of elevator tab vibrations. Also, the earthquake in the Puget Sound area on 28 February 2001 hindered test operations.
Type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was finally earned on April 17, 2001. Validation by Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) is followed on April 19. Over the course of eight months, the program's two flight-test airplanes completed 296 flights, 156 hours of ground testing and 649 hours of flight testing. A third, non-instrumented aircraft was also used for some work.
Launch customer Alaska Airlines received its first 737-900 during ceremonies on May 16, 2001.
Continental took its first 737-900 on May 31, 2001. A total of ten will be handed over in 2001 with the rest following in 2002.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is to take delivery of its first airplane in late June, and Korean Airlines will receive its first 737-900 in early November 2001.
In the spring of 2001, Boeing was studying the possibility of a -900X featuring more range and allowing more seats to be fitted. This would necessitate the installation of addtional exits aft of the wing.

Last updated 4. June 2001

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