Delivery Of 737 MAX 8 To Cayman Airways Marks First Model In The Caribbean

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Boeing and Air Lease Corporation delivered a 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Cayman Airways in late November. The delivery makes Cayman Airways the first Caribbean-based carrier to operate a 737 MAX aircraft, Boeing says. (Photo courtesy of Boeing.)

Cayman Airways’ plans to modernize its fleet and expand its network got a major boost in late November when the carrier took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Boeing says the delivery marks the first 737 MAX to enter service in the Caribbean. Cayman Airways intends to replace four current 737-300 aircraft it operates with the 737 MAX 8, which Boeing claims provides 30 percent more seating capacity and 30 percent savings in fuel consumption thanks (among other things) to its use of CFM International LEAP-1B engines and Boeing’s Advanced Technology winglets. Boeing says it has taken 4,800 orders from 100-plus global customers for the 737 MAX aircraft and delivered 200-plus 737 MAX aircraft since May 2017.

On Lease

Cayman Airways received its 737 MAX 8 through Air Lease Corporation. Fabian Whorms, Cayman Airways president and CEO, notes that the company is celebrating 50 years of service this year but also looking forward. “Over the next 20 months, we will be adding three additional MAX 8 aircraft while retiring our existing Boeing 737-300 jet fleet,” he says. A unique lease structure and terms with ALC, he says, gave the company the ability to be Caribbean’s first 737-8 MAX operator.

Cayman Airways purchased its Boeing 737-300s in 2014 as the first step in its fleet-modernization plan. Philip Rankin, chairman of the carrier’s board of directors, says the company expected to retire those aircraft within three to five years and replace them with new aircraft providing fuel-consumption and maintenance-cost reductions while providing greater opportunity to grow revenue and enhance customer experience. While Cayman Airways believed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 would be out of reach financially, Air Lease’s unique terms and pricing made the delivery possible, Rankin says.

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Officials from Boeing, Air Lease Corporation, and Cayman Airways recently celebrated the delivery of a 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Cayman Airways. The delivery is part of a fleet-modernization effort from Cayman Airways, which is replace Boeing 737-300 aircraft it previously acquired. (Photo courtesy of Boeing.)

The 737 MAX Family

The 737 MAX 8 joins the 737 MAX 7, MAX 9, and MAX 10 in the 737 MAX lineup. Offering up to 178 seats in a two-class configuration and 210 seats maximum, the 737 MAX 8 provides a maximum 3,550-nautical mile (6,570-kilometer) range. If you’re in the market for Boeing aircraft, you’ll find scores of new and used Boeing planes for sale on Controller.com, including Boeing Business Jet aircraft, 727s, 737s, 747s, 757s, 777s, and 787s.

Source: Boeing

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