Thousands of employees gathered in Renton, Wash., to get up close and personal with the newest member of the MAX family, the 737 MAX 7.

It's the third model of the MAX family to be introduced in three years, an accomplishment of which all employees and partners who support the 737 program can be very proud, said Keith Leverkuhn, the program’s vice president and general manager. It also is the first of two test airplanes that will be produced and is scheduled to take its first flight in the coming weeks.

The MAX 7 is designed for operators who need to service airports in remote destinations, including airports at high altitude or in hot locations, and low-cost carriers that have routes requiring less than 200 seats. For passengers, the longer range capability means the ability to fly point-to-point to their destination.

The first MAX 7 is scheduled to be delivered to launch customer Southwest Airlines in 2019.

By Elizabeth Merida