Flydubai receives first B737 MAX 9 with larger business class

Flydubai has received its first B737 MAX 9 aircraft which contains 16 business class seats, six more than the MAX 8 version.

The new aircraft has eight seats on each side and the bonus of four single ‘throne’ seats (up from two on the MAX 8) for passengers looking to spread out. It means the economy section is slightly smaller, with 156 seats compared with 162. Otherwise the same products and services are available on both aircraft types. Two more MAX 9s are set to follow.

The MAX 9 is 2.6m longer than the MAX 8 version, but both aircraft fly a range of 3515nm.

The Dubai carrier ordered 225 Boeing 737 Max aircraft worth $27bn at the Dubai Airshow 2017 and more than 50 will be 737 MAX 10s, the largest member of the 737 line.

Tashkent will join the carrier’s network next month with five-times weekly flights starting March 11, which will rise to daily from May 31.