--- title: "Boeing 737-800: seats, specs, airlines and safety record · Orbit" description: "Boeing 737-800 — 160–180 seats typically, 5,190 km range. Seat layout, engines, who flies it (Ryanair, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines) and its safety record, with sources." url: https://orbitflights.app/aircraft/boeing-737-800 --- Boeing # Boeing 737-800 The 737-800 is the stretched member of Boeing's 737 Next Generation family and the most widely flown version of it. It typically carries 160 to 180 passengers in two classes on short- and medium-haul routes, and it remains the backbone of many low-cost and mainline short-haul fleets. Passenger production has ended, with the 737 MAX 8 as its successor. **Typical seats** 160–180 **Range** 5,190 km **First flight** July 1997 **In service since** April 1998 _\[Image: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 N969AN climbing out of Los Angeles\]_ American Airlines Boeing 737-800 N969AN climbing out of Los Angeles. Photo: [Eric Salard / Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American%5FAirlines,%5FBoeing%5F737-823%28WL%29,%5FN969AN%5F-%5FLAX%5F%2822300501588%29.jpg), [CC BY-SA 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), resized. ## Specifications **Manufacturer** Boeing **ICAO / IATA code** B738 / 738 **First flight** 31 July 1997 **Entered service** 22 April 1998, with Hapag-Lloyd Flug **Status** Out of production **Engines** 2 × CFM International CFM56-7B **Range** 5,190 km (2,802 nmi) **Length** 39.47 m **Wingspan** 35.79 m **Height** 12.55 m **Max take-off weight** 79 t ## Seats and cabin layout Boeing quotes 160–180 seats in a typical 2-class layout. The type certificate allows at most 189 passengers — the exit limit, which no airline with a premium cabin comes near. ### Boeing’s reference layout Drawn by Orbit from the figures in [Boeing 737 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning (D6-58325-7 Rev C, Oct 2025), §2.4.4 Interior Arrangements: Model 737-800, -800W (mixed class)](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/airports/acaps/737NG%5FREV%5FC.pdf). Typical, not any airline’s seat map — your flight may differ. Nose on the left. - First - Economy ### What the biggest operators fit | Airline | Cabins | Seats | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ----- | | [Ryanair](https://corporate.ryanair.com/about-us/our-fleet/) | 189 economy | 189 | | [Southwest Airlines](https://www.swamedia.com/vforcesite/cms/delivery/media/MC5SHG3HNX2FFRVLRCQTZRDPWU7E?channelId=0apHu000000IWrs&language=en%5FUS&version=10.1) | 175 economy | 175 | From each airline’s own seat or fleet page. Airlines often fly more than one version of a type; this is the one they publish. ## Which airlines fly the 737-800 The largest fleets of this variant. Counts move as aircraft are delivered and retired, so each carries the date it describes. - Ryanair \~410 in the fleet, as of 1 April 2026 · [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryanair) - American Airlines \~303 in the fleet, as of 1 June 2026 · [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American%5FAirlines%5Ffleet) - Southwest Airlines \~192 in the fleet, as of 1 June 2026 · [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest%5FAirlines%5Ffleet) - United Airlines \~141 in the fleet, as of 1 September 2026 · [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United%5FAirlines%5Ffleet) ## Safety record The 6 deadliest accidents involving the 737-800, with the investigators' report where one is published. The complete record, minor incidents included, is kept by the [Aviation Safety Network](https://aviation-safety.net/asndb/type/B738). 1. 29 December 2024 · Muan International Airport, South Korea ### Jeju Air flight 7C2216 After a reported bird strike and a go-around, the aircraft landed without its landing gear extended, overran the runway and struck a localiser embankment; the investigation is still open. 179 killed · aircraft written off · [ARAIB (Korea) report ↗](https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-boeing-737-800-registered-hl8088-operated-by-jeju-air-on-29-12-2024-at-ad-muan/) 2. 8 January 2020 · Near Tehran, Iran ### Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 The aircraft was shot down by surface-to-air missiles fired by Iranian air defence shortly after take-off from Tehran. 176 killed · aircraft written off · [AAIB Iran report ↗](https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-boeing-737-registered-ur-psr-operated-by-air-ukraine-international-on-08-01-2020-near-tehran-investigation-led-by-aaib-iran/) 3. 22 May 2010 · Mangalore, India ### Air India Express flight IX812 After an unstabilised approach the aircraft landed far down the runway, overran the end and fell into a ravine, where it was destroyed by impact and fire; eight of the 166 people on board survived. 158 killed · aircraft written off · no official report published · [Wikipedia ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air%5FIndia%5FExpress%5FFlight%5F812) 4. 29 September 2006 · Mato Grosso, Brazil ### Gol Transportes Aéreos flight G31907 The aircraft collided head-on at cruise altitude with an Embraer Legacy business jet over the Amazon and broke up in flight; the Legacy landed safely. 154 killed · aircraft written off · [CENIPA report ↗](https://sistema.cenipa.fab.mil.br/cenipa/paginas/relatorios/rf/en/RF%5FPR-GTD%5FN600XL%5F29%5F09%5F06%5FEng..pdf) 5. 21 March 2022 · Teng County, Guangxi, China ### China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 The aircraft descended rapidly from cruise and struck terrain; the CAAC's preliminary report found no pre-flight faults and no final cause has been published. 132 killed · aircraft written off · [CAAC report ↗](https://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/TZTG/202204/t20220420%5F212895.html) 6. 5 May 2007 · Douala, Cameroon ### Kenya Airways flight KQ507 Shortly after a night take-off from Douala, the aircraft entered a slowly increasing right roll that became a spiral dive into a mangrove swamp. 114 killed · aircraft written off · [CCAA (Cameroon) report ↗](https://ccaa.aero/index.php/en/aviation-civile-au-cameroun-surete-et-securite-en/502-technical-investigation) ## Asked and answered ### How many seats does the Boeing 737-800 have? Boeing quotes 160 to 180 seats in a typical two-class layout, and the type is certified for up to 189 passengers. Airlines vary: Ryanair and Southwest fly all-economy cabins of 189 and 175 seats respectively. ### Which airlines fly the 737-800? Ryanair is the largest operator with around 410, followed by American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. It is also flown by many other airlines worldwide. ### Is the Boeing 737-800 safe? It is one of the most widely flown airliners, and fatal accidents are rare relative to the number of flights it makes. The deadliest events are listed above with links to the official investigation reports. ### How far can a 737-800 fly? Boeing quotes a range of up to 5,190 km (2,800 nautical miles). Actual range on a given flight depends on payload, weather and fuel reserves. ## Other aircraft - [Boeing 737 MAX 8 →](https://orbitflights.app/aircraft/boeing-737-max-8) - [Airbus A220-300 →](https://orbitflights.app/aircraft/airbus-a220-300) - [Airbus A320neo →](https://orbitflights.app/aircraft/airbus-a320neo) - [All aircraft →](https://orbitflights.app/aircraft) ### Further reading - [The airport codes that make no sense](https://orbitflights.app/blog/airport-codes-that-make-no-sense) - [How flight radar actually works, and why your trail vanishes when you land](https://orbitflights.app/blog/how-flight-radar-works) - [Flight tracker or flight log — which one do you actually want?](https://orbitflights.app/blog/flight-tracker-or-flight-log) ## Every flight you’ve taken, on one globe. Orbit is a flight logbook. Add the airports and the date, and it works out the distance, the hours, the countries and the milestones. [Download now](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qwertybit.orbit) ## Where these facts come from - [Boeing — 737 Next Generation technical specifications ↗](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/737ng) - [Boeing — 737 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning (D6-58325-7 Rev C) ↗](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/airports/acaps/737NG%5FREV%5FC.pdf) - [EASA — TCDS IM.A.120 Boeing 737, Issue 29 (Section 4: 737-800) ↗](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/downloads/7297/en) - [Wikipedia — Boeing 737 Next Generation (first flight, launch customer) ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing%5F737%5FNext%5FGeneration) - [Wikidata — Boeing 737-800 (Q12476717) ↗](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12476717) - [Wikipedia — List of aircraft type designators ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%5Fof%5Faircraft%5Ftype%5Fdesignators) - [Ryanair — Our fleet ↗](https://corporate.ryanair.com/about-us/our-fleet/) - [Southwest Airlines — Corporate fact sheet (as of 31 Dec 2025) ↗](https://www.swamedia.com/vforcesite/cms/delivery/media/MC5SHG3HNX2FFRVLRCQTZRDPWU7E?channelId=0apHu000000IWrs&language=en%5FUS&version=10.1) - [Wikipedia — Ryanair (fleet) ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryanair) - [Wikipedia — American Airlines fleet ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American%5FAirlines%5Ffleet) - [Wikipedia — Southwest Airlines fleet ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest%5FAirlines%5Ffleet) - [Wikipedia — United Airlines fleet ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United%5FAirlines%5Ffleet) - [Wikipedia — Air India Express Flight 812 ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air%5FIndia%5FExpress%5FFlight%5F812) Checked on 6 October 2026. If something here is out of date, it is a bug. Boeing and the airlines named are trademarks of their owners; Orbit is not affiliated with any of them. --- Markdown copy of https://orbitflights.app/aircraft/boeing-737-800 for language models and agents. Site index: https://orbitflights.app/llms.txt