The first 737 MAX 9 fuselage arrives at the 737 program's Final Assembly site in Renton, Wash.

Beth Koemans

The first fuselage for the first 737 MAX 9, the second and largest member of Commercial Airplanes’ new single-aisle airplane family, has arrived at the Final Assembly site in Renton, Wash. The 737 MAX is being assembled exclusively in Renton, Wash.

At 138 feet, 4 inches, the 737 MAX 9 fuselage is 8 feet, 8 inches longer than the 737 MAX 8, which was the first family member produced and is currently undergoing flight testing. Two other models — the 737 MAX 7 and the 737 MAX 200 — will come later.

The fuselage, like all those for the 737 program, was produced by Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kan., and shipped to Renton by rail. After going through Final Assembly, it is scheduled to roll out of the factory and take its first flight in the first quarter of next year.

With a two-class seating configuration for 178 passengers and a range of 3,280 nautical miles (3,775 miles, 6,075 kilometers), the 737 MAX 9 is scheduled to enter service with Indonesia-based launch customer Lion Air in 2018.

Deliveries of the 737 MAX 8 are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2017.

The 737 MAX program has accumulated 3,346 orders to date from 70 customers. It is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history.

By Dan Ivanis