Boeing 737-800

Ryanair flies more Next Generation 737s than any other type in its fleet [11], so this is a familiar shape over Ireland. The 737-800 is the stretched member of Boeing's Next Generation 737 family, and when it first flew in 1997 Boeing billed it as the longest 737 yet [1]. It is the aircraft this library files the whole Next Generation family under: the 737-600, -700, -800, -900 and -900ER [3].

Where it came from

Boeing launched the -800 at the Farnborough Air Show on 5 September 1994, with commitments from customers for more than 40 aircraft [1]. It was one of three models in the new 737-600/-700/-800 family [1]. The smaller 737-600 had been launched by SAS in March 1995, and the 737-700 had made its first flight on 9 February 1997 [1].

The first -800 took off from Renton Municipal Airport in Washington state at 9 a.m. on 31 July 1997. Boeing captains Mike Hewett and Jim McRoberts flew it for three hours and five minutes before landing at Boeing Field [1]. It was the 2,906th 737 Boeing had built [1]. The German carrier Hapag-Lloyd was lined up as the first customer, with delivery planned for March 1998 [1].

Boeing quoted 160 to 189 seats [1], and 189 is the most passengers the European type certificate approves for emergency evacuation [3]. That upper figure matters in Ireland: it is exactly how many seats Ryanair fits in its Next Generation 737s [11].

What changed from the older 737s

The headline change was under the wing. The Next Generation 737s use the CFM56-7 engine, which Boeing said would have 10 per cent more thrust capability than the CFM56-3C of the earlier 737s. Together with a new, larger wing, Boeing listed improvements in noise and fuel burn, a higher cruising speed and more range [1]. The European noise certificate for the -800 lists a string of CFM56-7B variants, among them the -7B24 and the -7B26 [2].

The upturned wingtips came later: Aviation Partners Boeing received its supplemental type certificate for 737-800 blended winglets on 23 March 2001, and Hapag-Lloyd became the first airline to fly a -800 with them fitted as a retrofit [5]. The next step was the split scimitar winglet, which adds a second, smaller, upside-down fin below the wingtip [7]. The FAA approved it for the -800 on 6 February 2014, and United Airlines flew it in service for the first time on 18 February 2014, from Houston to Los Angeles [5]. As of September 2026, Aviation Partners' website said split scimitars fly on about 1,700 Next Generation 737s [6].

Boeing handed its last two commercial Next Generation 737s, both -800s, to China Eastern Airlines in January 2020, ending a production run that began in late 1997 [4].

How to spot one

Some things to look for:

• Count the overwing exits. A -800 has two cabin doors and two emergency exits over the wing on each side. The -700 and -600 have only one overwing exit a side, and the -900ER adds an extra exit door behind the wing [8].
• Look at the engine intakes. They are not quite round. The bottom is flattened to keep the engine clear of the ground, a shape spotters call the hamster pouch [8].
• Check the wingtips. Next Generation 737s carry either blended winglets, a single smooth upward sweep, or split scimitars, which end in small points at both the top and the bottom [7].
• Watch the landing lights. On the Next Generation 737, the outboard landing lights are retractable and come down from the underside of the fuselage [7].

Not a MAX

The 737 MAX is the easiest aircraft to confuse with a -800, because it is essentially a Next Generation 737 with new engines [7]. The MAX's engines are much wider and sit further in front of the wing, with small sawtooth ridges, called chevrons, around the back of the engine [7]. Its split winglets have top and bottom parts of roughly equal size, where the -800's version is pointed [7]. The tail cone also gives it away: the MAX's is pointed and extends further behind the tail, while the -800's is shorter and blunter [10].

Not an Airbus

The Airbus A320 family is the other shape to rule out. On an Airbus, the rearmost cockpit side window has a distinctive missing corner, while the 737's side windows are more angular with sloping bottom edges [9]. The Airbus has round engine housings rather than the 737's flattened nacelle bottom, and the A320neo carries sharklets, wingtip fins that stand vertically [9]. The newer Airbus has its own article, the A320neo.

Over Ireland

As of 2 September 2026, Ryanair listed 411 Next Generation 737s in its fleet, each with 189 seats, alongside 210 of the newer 737-8200s and 26 Airbus A320s [11].

From the archive

The prototype 737-800 was already the 2,906th 737 built: a new aircraft variant launched from a production line with three decades of history. [1]

Its first flight lasted three hours and five minutes, travelling from Renton over the Strait of Juan de Fuca before landing at Boeing Field. [1]

In photographs

Look closer at the shapes, details and liveries. Every photograph links to its original and credits its creator.

Drawings and original documents

Existing published drawings are credited below. These are reference illustrations, not manufacturing blueprints.

• 737 Next Generation airport planning drawings, October 2025

  Boeing’s dimensioned plans cover the 737-600 through 737-900, including the -800’s cabin, doors, ground clearances and turning geometry.

• The 737-800’s first flight, 31 July 1997

  Read Boeing’s original launch-era report, with its route, test crew, fleet position and the planned Next Generation test programme.