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By Howard Hardee
August 4, 2026, © Leeham News: With the long-awaited FAA type certificate for the 737 Max 7 finally in Boeing’s hands, attention turns to the small airliner’s market, thus far limited almost entirely to a single operator: Southwest Airlines.
Southwest has been anticipating Max 7 deliveries for a staggering 13 years. As the type’s launch customer, Southwest made its first commitment in May 2013, when it converted 30 existing 737NG orders into orders for the shortest 737 Max variant, and placed follow-on orders from there. As delays dragged on, though, the airline converted dozens of orders for Max 7s into larger Max 8s, opting for aircraft that were certified and available. Some airline analysts believe that the long delay in Max 7 deliveries contributed to Southwest’s post-Covid struggles, as it has been continually forced to postpone retirement of its ageing 737-700s and make network compromises.
The Dallas-based carrier still holds unfilled orders for more than 250 Max 7 jets, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Notably, about 30 Max 7s have already been assembled and are waiting delivery to Southwest, which expects to finally deploy the type in early 2027. The only other confirmed customer waiting for Max 7s is US leisure carrier Allegiant Air.
The Max 7 is a “cut” version of the larger Max 8, the latter of which is the best-selling variant in Boeing’s latest-generation 737 portfolio. Photo credit: Boeing
Meanwhile, other early buyers of the Max 7—including United Airlines and Canada’s WestJet—previously converted all of their Max 7 orders into the larger Max 8, reflecting how a seven-year certification delay hurt the Max 7’s market, as airlines generally opted for the more-expensive but higher-capacity Max 8 rather than waiting for the smaller variant.
Total Max 7 orders represent about 6% of Boeing’s 737 orderbook, according to an analyst note from Jefferies.
Boeing’s official stance is that the 135-160-seat Max 7’s most-critical role is rounding out the family, along with the yet-to-be-certified Max 10, giving customers a range of offerings from the low end to the high end of the single-aisle market.
During a pre-Farnborough International Airshow briefing in London, LNA asked Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, about the company’s outlook on the market for the Max 7 beyond Southwest.
