Summary
- Corendon Dutch Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 9, becoming the first European Union airline to operate this aircraft.
- The delivery flight departed from Boeing Field in Seattle and flew directly to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
- Corendon Dutch Airlines has changed its livery, including removing the blue starfish and zooming in on the logo on the tail.
European leisure carrier Corendon Dutch Airlines has taken delivery of its 1st Boeing 737 MAX 9. The aircraft flew from Boeing’s Seattle Boeing Field plant to its new Amsterdam home, departing on September 29th and arriving the next day. The aircraft is the 1st European Union Boeing 737 MAX 9, but not the 1st European Boeing 737 MAX 9.
You may not have heard of Corendon Airlines, but you’ve likely heard of the airline planning to introduce adult-only cabin sections. The Turkish airline has two subsidiaries, Corendon Dutch Airlines, based in the Netherlands, and Corendon Airlines Europe, a Maltese carrier.
1st Boeing 737 MAX 9 delivered
On Friday, September 29th, Corendon Dutch Airlines’ 1st Boeing 737 MAX 9 took off from Boeing Field in Seattle. PH-CDP took off from Seattle (BFI) with the rather fitting flight number CD7379 at 17:09. FlightRadar24.com data shows the aircraft was expected to stop in Glasgow before heading to Amsterdam. However, the aircraft flew directly to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), landing at 11:19 local time on Saturday.
Interestingly, the aircraft takes the title of the European Union’s 1st Boeing 737-9. Of course, the 737-9 is no stranger to Europe, and Icelandair operates the type. While it is considered a European airline, Iceland is not a member of the EU.
Livery development
The new Corendon Boeing 737 MAX 9 displays the latest iteration of the Corendon Dutch Airlines livery, a slight modification on one that has already been flying for a few years. The standard Corendon Dutch Airlines livery features a red tail and engines, with a starfish on the fuselage and tail, as seen below. The blue of the starfish indicates that the aircraft is part of the Dutch subsidiary.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock.com
More recently, the airline has ditched the blue starfish and the word airline from its livery. In addition, the Correndon logo on the tail is much more zoomed in, with each side showing something different, as seen below. The first image of this article shows the latest livery, where you can now see that much more of the fuselage is red, following a similar shape to the newest Lufthansa Group liveries.
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock.com
The yellow dot
It’s interesting looking at the latest livery of the Corendon Boeing 737, as it reveals some striking, though likely coincidental, similarities with the new Discover Airlines livery. The red of the Corendon livery has been extended to fill more of the fuselage, as we have seen on the Discover Airlines livery. However, the new Discover Airlines aircraft logo bears a striking resemblance to the current Corendon logo. Check out both below:
What do you make of Corendon’s 1st Boeing 737 MAX 9 delivery? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
Sources: aeroTELEGRAPH, ch-aviation.com, FlightRadar24.com