12 April 2021
The MAX is Back, What's The Carbon Difference?
The Boeing 737 MAX is back flying scheduled service, but how much better is it from a carbon stand point? Let's take a look.
Boeing's 737 MAX is back in the air again after a 18 month long recertification programme following two crashes. It’s in action with a variety of operators; American in the US, GOL in Brasil and, Aeromexico, Flydubai and Smartwings among others.
The Max was Boeing’s answer to the wildly popular Airbus A320 NEO (New Engine Option). It is a re-engined version of the 737 and unsurprisingly has a smaller carbon footprint than the previous version, The NG (New Generation).
The MAX comes in a few different variants: the dash 7, dash 8 and the dash 9, dash 10 and a special edition for Ryanair. At the moment it's predominantly the dash 8 which is out and about again.
From the outside and inside the difference is small. The engines are bigger is the most obvious sign, the interior has had a refresh but nothing out of the ordinary. If you look closely you can recognise the MAX by the see-saw jigsaw type pattern at the back of the engine.
Carbon Comparison
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RyanairBoeing 737 MAX 8~179 kg CO2
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RyanairBoeing 737-800~218 kg CO2
Carbon Comparison
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GOLBoeing 737 MAX 8~241 kg CO2
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GOLBoeing 737-800~302 kg CO2
Carbon Comparison
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AEROMEXICOBoeing 737 MAX 8~629 kg CO2
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AEROMEXICOBoeing 737-800~763 kg CO2
Carbon Comparison
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TUIFLYBoeing 737 MAX 8~887 kg CO2
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TUIFLYBoeing 737-800~1108 kg CO2
The biggest difference over the previous generation, however, is fuel consumption and its carbon emissions. The MAX is a much better from that point of view. Let's take a look at some comparisons, which will put its benefits into perspective. Right now there aren't that many flying but it will soon appear in fleets across the world.