After being officially unveiled last month, the new Boeing 737 MAX 9 airliner has now been flown for the first time. The test flight took place this Thursday, as the aircraft took to the skies over Puget Sound in Washington state.
Piloted by Captains Christine Walsh and Ed Wilson, the MAX 9 took off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington at 10:52 am local time, flew to Boeing Field in Seattle, and landed at 1:34pm. During the 2 hour, 42-minute flight, tests were performed to assess the aircraft's flight controls, systems and handling qualities.
Everything reportedly went smoothly, with a series of other test flights set to follow before certification is achieved. Customer deliveries of the 220-passenger aircraft – which has a range of 3,515 nautical miles (6,510 km) – won't begin until next year.
Source: Boeing