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Irish aircraft lessor Avolon delivered the world's first Boeing 737 Max to Malindo Air, part of the southeast Asian conglomerate, Lion Group.
The 737 Max is the latest model of the single aisle Boeing craft used on mainly short-haul routes around the world and is predicted to become one of the biggest-selling planes produced by the US aerospace giant.
Avolon delivered the craft to the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Malindo at a ceremony at Boeing's centre in Seattle, Oregon in the northwestern US. The airline is the first to have taken commercial delivery of the model.
More fuel efficient
Representatives of the Irish company, Boeing, Malindo and the craft’s engine manufacturer CFM took part.
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The Max is designed to be more fuel efficient and to carry larger numbers of passengers over longer distances. Avolon intends to deliver 60 of the craft between now and 2021.
Production of the craft hit a snag last week when a flaw was discovered in a part in a small number of engines. Regulators have since cleared the craft to fly and the source of the problem has been tracked down.