Bbj Range

Originally, the BBJ contained parts from two 737s - the 737-700 cell and the wings, chassis and centre section from the bigger 737-800s. Three to ten additional reservoirs can be fitted anywhere in the aircraft's abdomen, which corresponds to a range of 6,196 sea-mile with eight occupants, equivalent to 14 flying hours. 3,000 additional reservoirs can be fitted to the aircraft's interior.

An elongated BBJ2 offers 25 per cent more cab space, but at the cost of a slightly shorter range. BBJ2 was partly built because the BBJ doesn't have much room for luggage in the holds, with all the additional petrol tank in the bag. In 2005 Boeing introduced an even bigger model, the BBJ3, built on the 737-900ER, which was marketed to the airline companies and carried 189 people.

Fuelled by airlines' wish to reduce cost and improve efficiency, Boeing in 2011 heralded the Max programme after considering and refusing a substitute for the 737 in cleaner sheets. Before Boeing could complete the Max detailing, the airline companies who wanted to improve their profits hit the doors.

Though Boeing will not be delivering the Max until the end of 2017, there are already more than 2,200 orders for the plane - an astonishing achievement. Boeing largely finished the plane's styling in 2013, and the coefficients of achievement were not disappointing: it will be 14 per cent more economical than the present 737, thanks to redesigned wingtips and new CFM International Leap 1B power plants installed further forward and higher on the wings and linked by new and more streamlined power plant assembly cones.

In order to ensure sufficient floor space for the bigger power units, the undercarriage is extended so that the plane stands slightly higher on the asphalt. 1 inch Rockwell Collins flying display in the dashboard - the same as on the new, bigger Boeing 787 Dreamliner. As a result, the aircraft's already high scheduling dependability will be further increased - the present 737 has a scheduling ratio of 99.7 per cent.

Boeing Business Jet versions of the Max are known as Max 8 and Max 9. Built on the BBJ2 and BBJ3, they have the same cab size as their previous models, but a much longer range. BBJ Max 8 has a range of 6,325 sea-mile, a 14. 6 per cent increase over BBJ2.

BBJ Max 9 offers a range of 6,255 nautical miles, a 16.2 per cent leap from BBJ3. The first BBJ Max order (from an established BBJ customer) has already been placed by Boeing and will be delivered to a completions centre in 2018. Lufthansa Technik in Germany in particular has already developed a pre-configured module passenger compartment for the BBJ Max 8 with which it intends to save 25 to 30 per cent of the usual finishing times and costs at a price of 20 million dollars or more.

With the BBJ Max, you get an aircraft that travels on less petrol, with staterooms that may be quicker and cheaper to install.