Airlines Eastar Jet receives first Korean 737 MAX

The airline becomes the first carrier in the Korean peninsula to fly the state-of-the-art 737 MAX aircraft. Registered as HL8304, the MAX 8 was delivered from Boeing´s facility at Seattle via Anchorage and Sapporo to Seoul. The aircraft is already in service with Eastar Jet.

Eastar Jet has already received a second 737 MAX 8, which joined the carrier´s fleet of next-generation 737s. Both new aircraft will help the carrier to modernize its fleet. The average fleet age of the airline´s next-generation 737 is 12.3 years.

In addition to the new aircraft, Eastar Jet will also use Boeing Global Services to furthermore enhance its operations. To keep all flights on schedule, the program provides a maintenance performance toolbox that can be used by technicians to quickly resolve issues with the aircraft.

Jong-Gu Choi, President of Eastar Jet confirmed: "We are excited to take delivery of this brand new 737 MAX airplane [...] The introduction of the 737 MAX into our fleet reflects the efforts we are making to modernize our product offering and provide a world-class experience to our customers. In addition, the superior economics and longer-range capability of the 737 MAX will enable us to expand our network into new and existing markets more efficiently, which will help us achieve long-term growth."

Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing for The Boeing Company added: With the new 737 MAX, the airline will be able to take their performance to the next level. They can fly farther, lower their operating costs, and provide an even better experience for their passengers [...] We are proud of our partnership with Eastar Jet and we are excited to see them leverage the MAX to compete in one of the world's most dynamic aviation markets."

Established in 2007, Eastar Jet has grown its operations significantly over the years. The overall growth of the low-cost market helped the airline to grow. With the new MAX aircraft, Eastar Jet could potentially open routes to markets like Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. The current Eastar fleet consists of 17 Boeing 737-800s, two 737-900s and two 737 MAX 8s.