Aircraft/Boeing
Is the Boeing 737 MAX 8 safe?
The honest safety record for the Boeing 737 MAX 8, straight from the accident data. Context, not spin.
Informational only. Not safety, operational, or travel advice. These are estimates from public records, provided as-is; see our terms & disclaimer.
0.27
modelled fatal rate / million flights
5.0M
flights flown since 2017
2 / 2
fatal accidents / hull losses on record
The rate is the model's shrinkage-adjusted estimate, the same figure used in a flight's score, not a raw count ÷ flights ratio. See the methodology.
Specifications
What the record shows
The 737 MAX 8 is the variant involved in the two 2018-19 MCAS crashes that killed 346 people and grounded the entire MAX fleet for 20 months. The flawed MCAS was completely redesigned before the type returned to service in December 2020, and the in-service MAX 8 fleet has had no fatal accidents since. Boeing manufacturing-quality issues across the MAX program (e.g. the 2024 MAX 9 door-plug event) remain under active FAA scrutiny. This is the most safety-scrutinized aircraft type currently flying.
Engine programme: CFM LEAP-1B, no systemic engine ADs. The MAX's 2018-19 accidents were flight-control (MCAS), not engine-related.
Accidents on record
2018: Crashed into the sea 13 minutes after takeoff
Java Sea · 189 fatalities
2019: Crashed six minutes after takeoff
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · 157 fatalities
Who flies the Boeing 737 MAX 8, and how old theirs are
Counted from individual airframes in our registry, with build years from public registries and sourced references. An age appears only where we can date at least three of that airline's Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft; otherwise we say so rather than estimate.
The oldest Boeing 737 MAX 8 we can date in an airline fleet was built in 2015, about 11 years ago. The oldest airframes of a type reach every inspection milestone first. How planes are checked
| Airline | In our registry | Average age |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 295 | 3.4 yrs |
| American Airlines | 100 | 3.9 yrs |
| United Airlines | 78 | 3.3 yrs |
| WestJet | 59 | 5.1 yrs |
| Air Canada rouge LP | 52 | 5.5 yrs |
| Gol Linhas Aéreas | 51 | 5.2 yrs |
| Aeroméxico | 41 | 5.4 yrs |
| Singapore Airlines | 25 | 5 yrs |
| Alaska Airlines | 20 | 1.3 yrs |
| Virgin Australia | 8 | 2.7 yrs |
| Turkish Airlines | 7 | 7.9 yrs |
| Korean Air | 5 | 7.3 yrs |