Boeing 737-800
The best-selling Next Generation 737 — Europe's low-cost workhorse · First flight 1997 · In service 1998
The 737-800 stretched the Next Generation fuselage to 39.5 m, replacing the Classic -400 and seating up to 189 passengers. It was launched by the German charter airline Hapag-Lloyd on 5 September 1994, first flew on 31 July 1997 and was delivered to Hapag-Lloyd in April 1998.
It became the best-selling NG variant by far: almost 5,000 went to airlines, and it was ordered more than 5,200 times including military and business versions. Low-cost carriers built their fleets around it — Ryanair alone has operated more than 400.
The US Navy's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is based on the 737-800 airframe. The last passenger 737-800 was assembled for KLM in December 2019, as production switched to the 737 MAX.
