United Airlines Unveils Special Livery on Boeing 737-10 MAX to Promote Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

United Airlines’ newest Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft was spotted with a special livery promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The aircraft, which is United Airlines’ second production Boeing 737 MAX 10 and registered as N27602, was spotted after leaving the paint shop at Renton Municipal Airport (RNT), Washington, the United States. Images shared on X (previously known as Twitter) showed the fuselage painted in six different colors, replacing the typical all-white United Airlines livery.

In addition, the engine cowl includes a sticker that reads “The future is SAF”.

RNT is home to Boeing’s narrow-body aircraft production facility where the planemaker is currently building the 737 MAX family, as well as the P-8 Poseidon, a 737 NextGeneration (NG) military derivative. The manufacturer has no other single-aisle jets in production right now.

The first United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 10 took off on its first flight in November 2022, joining the type’s flight test feet. However, the type certificate (TC) of the aircraft belongs to Boeing and not United Airlines. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, the planemaker received the aircraft’s latest TC on August 14, 2023.

The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is yet to take off on its first flight. According to the FAA aircraft registry, the jet is yet to receive its TC yet, and the registered owner is still listed as Boeing.

Only one of the other two Boeing 737 MAX 10s has been active recently, with a Boeing-owned aircraft of the type, registered as N27751, flying a three-hour and 37-minute test flight on August 18, 2023. The other, registered as N27752, has not operated a flight in more than three months.

In the company’s Q2 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, Boeing said that it expects the 737 MAX 10 “to begin FAA certification flight testing in 2023 with first delivery in 2024”.

The 737 MAX 7, another member of the 737 MAX aircraft family that is yet to be certified, is expected to be certified in 2023, with the first customer deliveries set to take place in 2024.