The 737 may not be the biggest, or most glamorous, or longest-range jetliner ever, but it’s the clear king of the production numbers, with Southwest Airlines taking delivery last week on Boeing’s 10,000th copy.
Among jetliners, only the A320 family comes close, at about 8,000; among all airliners, it’s second to the iconic DC-3, with over 16,000. But that crown could be disputed; only 607 DC-3s were built as airliners; the rest were World War II military production later converted to civil use.
Production of the 737 started in 1967, with constantly updated models along the way. The current 737 MAX models have been hot sellers, with Boeing having over 4,600 737 orders on the books. It recently announced plans to bump production at its Renton, Washington 737 plant from 47 a month to 52.
