Alaska Airlines Announces New Deal for Boeing 737 MAX Planes

Alaska Airlines announced a new agreement with Boeing to purchase 23 additional 737-9 MAX airplanes.

Alaska’s new order builds on the carrier’s original order with Boeing and the deal revealed last month to acquire new 737-9s through lease. The latest agreement brings the airline’s total 737 MAX orders and options to 120 airplanes.

Alaska placed an order for 32 new 737-9 jets in 2012 as part of its fleet modernization program and expanded its commitment to the 737 MAX program by leasing 13 new 737-9s. The new agreement will add 23 firm orders for the 737-9 and more options for future purchases.

“We are extremely proud to be announcing this transformative agreement with Boeing,” Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden said. “We believe in this airplane, we believe in our strong partnership with Boeing, and we believe in the future of Alaska Airlines and the incredible opportunities ahead as we climb our way out of this pandemic.”

“We could not ask for a better partner than Boeing and we are delighted to be standing side by side with them as we work together to get our economy back on its feet,” Tilden continued.

The agreement was announced during a signing ceremony at Boeing’s delivery facility in Seattle, with company officials flanked by a new 737-9 that will be among the first such jets to be operated by the airline.

The first post-grounding, non-test flight for Boeing’s 737 MAX fleet of planes took place earlier this month, as the American Airlines aircraft carried members of the media between Dallas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.