United Airlines Takes Delivery Of 1st Boeing 737 MAX 8 In 2 Months Following FAA Audit

United Airlines took delivery of its latest Boeing 737 MAX 8 last week after a pause in deliveries due to an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft is reportedly the first MAX 8 the airline has received in over two months.

The delivery could be a sign that MAX deliveries will begin to ramp up soon. United is one of many airlines affected by Boeing’s latest troubles with its best-selling narrowbody aircraft.

Another shiny new aircraft

According to Aviation Flights, the aircraft, N37351, was delivered on Thursday. It operated as UA3839 from King County International Airport (BFI) near Seattle to Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD). Data from FlightAware shows that the aircraft departed from BFI at 09:39, which was 39 minutes past its scheduled departure time of 09:00. It taxied to Runway 32L, where it was airborne at 10:00. The aircraft flew southwest of Downtown Seattle and turned north, before turning southeast to intercept its flight path.

N37351 quickly climbed in altitude, reaching its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet over eastern Washington about 30 minutes after takeoff. After about two hours, the aircraft was over central Iowa and began its initial descent. It descended in increments, reaching and maintaining 27,000 feet for a few minutes before descending again to 24,000 feet. About five minutes later, the plane gradually descended to 14,000 feet. It flew past RFD to the north, continuing its descent, before turning southwest to line up for its final approach. N37351 landed safely on Runway 25 at RFD at 15:07.

Check It Out

United Airlines Plans To Expand Tokyo Narita Operations With Boeing 737s From Guam

The airline plans to use the airport as a base to serve new routes.

The delivery flight was only the aircraft’s seventh flight after six test flights. According to Aviation Flights, the plane was first spotted in primer at Renton Municipal Airport (RNT) on February 11th. By March 1st, the aircraft had been painted fully in United’s EvoBlue livery and was seen performing its first flight from RNT to Paine Field (PAE) and BFI. The remaining five flights were either from BFI to PAE or just originated and ended at BFI.

More MAX 8s on the way?

Aviation watchdog JonNYC reported on X that N37351 was the first 737 MAX delivered to United in over two months, and noted that deliveries should soon gain traction again.

The FAA began an audit on the Chicago-based airline in April after a string of high-profile safety-related incidents occured in a matter of weeks. The agency’s oversight subsequently put a pause on the airline’s certification activities, which included new aircraft and routes. Simple Flying reported last month that United had passed the audit, meaning the certification process could continue. According to ch-aviation, the airline has a total of 87 MAX 8s with 39 more on order.

Behind schedule

N37351 reportedly remains at RFD for aircraft induction. Although it is unclear when it might enter service, it will likely be soon. RFD is about 70 miles away from United’s hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), where it deploys many 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 flights. Aircraft induction allows for newly delivered planes to be seamlessly integrated into an airline’s fleet.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

United’s new MAX 8 delivery comes just weeks after Alaska Airlines received its second example of the aircraft type. The aircraft arrived several months behind schedule as the Seattle-based carrier originally expected to have five MAX 8s by March of this year.

More United Airlines News

United Airlines Schedules Boeing 737 MAX 8s & 757-200s On Washington DC-Chicago Route During Democratic National Convention

The aircraft types will collectively handle more than 170 flights between the nation’s capital and the Windy City.