The Boeing Co. jet that crashed in Iran on Wednesday was part of the same aircraft family as the 737 Max plane that’s been grounded worldwide since March following two deadly crashes. Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was operated by a Boeing 737-800, which crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday morning, killing all passengers and crew. That series of aircraft is called the 737 NG, for Next Generation, and was a significant source of Boeing’s profits before the 737 Max made its commercial debut in 2017.
While the 737 Max has nearly 4,700 orders from over 100 airlines, only a handful were delivered before it was grounded, meaning several carriers have yet to retire the 737 NG series and the planes are in use around the world. Website planefinder.net said the crashed Ukraine International Airlines 737-800 was only delivered to the airline in July 2016.
Boeing designed the 737 Max to compete with Airbus SE’s newest A320neo model of narrow-body jets, before the disasters idled the entire new fleet. CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric Co. and France’s Safran SA, is the sole provider of engines for both the 737 series of planes.
