On April 6, 2021, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) granted certification for the Boeing 737 MAX 8200 aircraft, the high-density variant Boeing developed for the low-cost market.
Following in the footsteps of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European regulator approved the commercial use of the MAX 8200, a variant of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was specifically designed to maximize the seating capacity on the single-aisle aircraft.
In comparison to the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which has a layout of 189 seats, the MAX 8200 variant has an increased seating capacity of up to 200 in all-economy class cabin. The new variant also includes two additional exit doors to serve the increased passenger capacity.
Boeing and Ryanair launched the MAX 8200 in September 2014. “For everyone at Boeing, it is an honor to launch the 737 MAX 200 with Ryanair, one of the world’s most successful all-Boeing operators,” at the time commented the then-president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Ray Conner.
On December 3, 2020, Ryanair increased the total number of orders for the 737 MAX by 75 units, taking its total order book for the aircraft type to 210. The newest order was exclusively for the MAX 8200 variant, which according to Ryanair was “a game-changer” for the low-cost market.
However, despite Ryanair being a big customer for the type, the new MAX 8200 might not be in high demand, as the airline’s traffic numbers in March 2021 were down by 91% due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in Europe.