Which Boeing 737 MAX variant is a game-changer for airlines? In a certain sense of the word, none of them is. The Boeing 737 MAX is an evolutionary upgrade of the Boeing 737 Next Generation airliner. It is far from a true game-changer, least of all is the Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 subvariant made for Ryanair, which Ryanair calls the « Gamechanger. » Boeing developed the MAX in response to Airbus’ A320neo upgrade and was an effort to keep the 737 series relevant into the 2030s.

Still, the MAX is the second most popular commercial passenger aircraft on the market and is taking its place as one of two backbones of modern short-haul aviation as it supplants the Boeing 737NG. Here is what to know about the most consequential Boeing MAX variants. Flight statistics are for December 2025 and are provided by Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

The Two Missing Variants

From the point of view of Boeing, the MAX was not intended to be a game-changer, it was meant to keep the Boeing 737 in the game and maintain existing market share in the face of Airbus A320neo competition. The game-changing moment came in 2018 and 2019, when two MAXs crashed due to the MCAS software Boeing had installed and had not properly informed the FAA or airlines. Since 2018, Boeing has not had a ‘normal’ production year, which has helped Airbus overtake Boeing as the largest airplane maker in the world.

By the time the MAX crash occurred, the MAX 8 and MAX 9 had their type certificate, while the type certificates for the truncated MAX 7 and extra-stretched MAX 10 were pending. As of December 2025, the type certificates for both variants remain pending following a collapse in the FAA’s faith in Boeing. For this article, it means the MAX 7 and MAX 10 are out of the picture, and the most consequential MAX variant is, by default, either the MAX 8 or MAX 9.

Even if the MAX 7 or MAX 10 had their type certificates, it is unlikely either would have been the most popular variant. The MAX 7 is mostly popular with Southwest Airlines. The MAX 7 replaces the 737-700, which attracted 1,130 orders or around 16% of the total Next Generation orders. The MAX 7 currently has a backlog of over 300 aircraft. The MAX 10 is a stretched version of the MAX 9 and has been developed to compete with the A321neo. A total of around 1,219 MAX 10s are on order.

Boeing 737 MAX 8

The MAX 8 is by far the most popular of the two variants currently on the market. This should come as little surprise, as it replaces the very popular Boeing 737-800 which accounted for almost 5,000 or 70% of the Next Generation orders. In December, the MAX 8 is scheduled to conduct 2.0 million flights carrying 363 million seats. This makes it one of the most important workhorses in its class today.

The MAX 8 is in service with around 64 airlines around the world. Four airlines are scheduled to operate more than 100,000 flights with the MAX 8 in December. These are Southwest Airlines (445,500 flights), Ryanair (329,300 flights), United Airlines (146,000 flights), and Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas (105,400 flights). Together, these four airlines account for over a million flights, or just over half of the global operations with the aircraft.

Other airlines operating the MAX 8 include Jeju Air, Lucky Air, American Airlines, Air Canada, Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, Copa Airlines, flydubai, Alligant Air, Singapore Airlines, TUI, Garuda Indonesia, WestJet, and many others. The MAX 8 has the largest share of MAX orders, though it is aided by delays of the MAX 7 and MAX 10. The MAX 8 also has a subvariant, the MAX 8-200, built with extra exits to allow Ryanair and other ultra-low-cost airlines to cram more people in it.

Boeing 737 MAX 9

The stretched Boeing 737 MAX 9 is in service with nine carriers around the world. The airlines include AeroMexico, Alaska Airlines, Corendon Dutch Airlines, Copa Airlines, SCAT Airlines, Icelandair, flydubai, Air Arabia Maroc, Lion Air, Turkish Airlines, and United Airlines. In December, the type is scheduled to operate 282,000 flights carrying 50.5 million seats.

By far the largest operator is United Airlines, which is set to account for 111,700 of the 282,000 flights, followed by Alaska Airlines with 79,300 flights. They also account for 20 million and 14 million of the 50.5 million seats, respectively. These two airlines account for around half of the MAX 9’s scheduled December operations. According to Planespotters.net, United has 116 MAX 9s in inventory, while Alaska has 80.

This suggests around 400 MAX 9s are in service around the world as of the end of 2025. Boeing’s orders and deliveries tool does not break the sales and deliveries down by variant. The MAX 9 trails the MAX 8. The MAX 9 is not nearly as impactful as the MAX 8 or as impactful as the MAX 10 likely would have been had it been in production. Outside of the US, the largest MAX 9 operators are AeroMexico (6 million seats) and Copa Airlines (5.7 million seats), making the aircraft a mostly Western Hemisphere aircraft.

The Four Boeing MAX Ranges

When it comes to range, the Boeing MAX family lags behind the Airbus A321neo and its A321LR and A321XLR subvariants. This has enabled the XLR to grab the mid-sized market left vacant by the termination of the Boeing 757 a couple of decades ago. Even so, the MAX family offers a greater range than its Next Generation counterparts.

According to Boeing, the MAX 7 has a range of 3,800 nautical miles, up from 3,010 nautical miles for the 737-700. The MAX 8’s range is 3,500 nautical miles, an improvement of 565 nautical miles. The MAX 9 gets another 350 nautical miles, extending the range from 2,950 for the 737-700 to 3,330. Finally, the higher-capacity MAX 10 has a range of 3,100 nautical miles, and there is no Next Generation analogue to compare it with.

For reference, the very unpopular and limited-production A319neo has a range of up to 3,700 nautical miles, the standard A320neo flies up to 3,400 nautical miles, and the A321LR gets up to 4,000 nautical miles. The Xtra Long Range (XLR) subvariant can fly for up to 4,700 nautical miles. The MAX family’s range is limited because the MAX 7 is not on the market, so the MAX 8, with 3,500 nautical miles, is the longest-range Boeing narrowbody currently available.

The MAX Family’s Seating Capacities

In addition to a range improvement, the Boeing 737 MAX family offers a 14–20% fuel burn improvement over the Next Generation family. With the MAX family, the more the aircraft is stretched, the more passengers it carries, but the shorter its range is. The MAX 7 is designed to carry 138–153 passengers in a typical two-class configuration with a maximum seating of 172.

The MAX 8 typically seats 162–178, rising to 210 with its maximum 8–200 subvariant. That said, it’s not actually always certified to carry that many people. The MAX 9 fits 178–193 seats in a two-class configuration and maxes out at 220. Finally, the MAX 10 is designed to accommodate 188–204 seats in a two-class configuration with a maximum capacity of 230.

For reference, Airbus advertises the A321neo as having a maximum seating capacity of 244 seats and a typical two-class seating capacity of 206–220 seats. The A321neo has become much more popular than the smaller A320neo. In 2025, the A320neo failed to significantly expand its net orders, while the A321neo’s order book grew significantly.

Keeping The Boeing 737 Competitive Into The 2030s

As of December 2025, Boeing’s backlog for the MAX family stands at 4,774 aircraft, trailing Airbus’ A320neo family backlog of 7,114. The Boeing MAX 8 has been by far the most impactful MAX variant thanks to its increased range, decreased fuel burn, the muted popularity of the MAX 9, and the failure of the MAX 10 to get its type certificate.

The MAX 8 is an evolutionary upgrade to the 737-800 and ensures the Boeing 737 family remains competitive into the 2030s. But the end of the Boeing 737 family is now coming into view as Boeing has begun early work on a cleansheet replacement for the 737 family. It appears there will be no further generational upgrade to the 1960s-era aircraft. For its part, Airbus is also working on a clean-sheet replacement for its A320 family, expected to arrive sometime in the 2030s.

The MAX 8 is the favored Boeing aircraft by low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers. Most notably, Ryanair (mainline fleet) only operates the MAX 8-200 and its 737-800 predecessor. The MAX 8’s longer range and cost efficiency have opened up new opportunities and routes for low-cost airlines, and it has kept the 737 in the game.