- Sunday’s Jeju Air crash has again raised concerns about flight safety.
- Boeing’s 737-800 model is used by nearly 200 airlines and has a strong safety record.
- The 737-800 is different from Boeing’s 737 Max family, which has faced significant issues.
The Boeing plane that crashed in South Korea on Sunday, killing 179, has a remarkable safety record.
The 737-800 model is among the world’s most widely used passenger planes, with some 4,400 in service for nearly 200 airlines, according to data from Cirium.
In its nearly 30 years of service, the 737 variant — much older than the problematic Max models — has seen 1,100 fatalities from 17 accidents, according to data compiled by the Aviation Safety Network, a nonprofit research organization.
That’s a relatively low crash rate, given the thousands of plane units produced and the millions of passenger flights completed. The model remains a backbone of global aviation.
“The 737-800 is a great airplane, the workhorse of the world, if you like,” Airline News editor and aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas told Business Insider. “It is the most reliable aircraft out there.”
Human error has contributed to most of the fatal 737-800 accidents.
Boeing 737-800 crashes
The first fatal crash involving the 737-800 was Brazil’s Gol Airlines in 2006. The plane experienced a midair collision with a private jet and broke up, killing all 154 passengers and crew.
Investigators said errors by an air traffic controller and the private pilots were to blame.
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Pilot error was a factor in several other 737-800 crashes, such as a 2007 Kenya Air flight, two Air India Express accidents in 2010 and 2020, and a 2016 Flydubai crash.
No US airline has experienced a fatal 737-800 crash, though some have been damaged due to things like mechanical issues, weather, bird strikes, and pilot error.
Some 737-800 accidents were due to other factors. In 2020, 176 people died after a Ukraine International Airlines flight was shot down by Iran.
In 2022, a China Eastern Airlines 737-800 nose-dived, killing 132, but the investigation is ongoing. A Wall Street Journal report that year said US officials had pointed to someone in the cockpit intentionally crashing the jet.
A China Airlines plane that crashed but suffered no fatalities in 2007 pointed to airline mechanic error and inadequate maintenance guidance from Boeing, Japanese investigators found.
Following the crash, the US Federal Aviation Administration instructed 737 operators in the US to ensure the maintenance component that caused the accident was properly installed.
Which airlines fly the 737-800?
The 737-800 is part of Boeing’s “next generation” or “NG” line of planes, which also includes the smaller 737-600 and 737-700 and the larger 737-900.
The 737-800 first flew in 1998, and the model competes with the Airbus A320 narrowbody jetliner.
The NG planes were an upgrade to the classic 737 models with more range and fuel efficiency. The 737-800 can fly about 3,400 miles and carry up to 189 passengers, making it popular for short and medium-haul flying.
Kirby Lee/Getty Images
Cirium data shows commercial airlines operated the 737-800 on nearly 5.9 million flights in 2024. More than 6.2 million are scheduled through November 2025.
American Airlines is the biggest operator of the 737-800, with 303 in service, per Cirium. Irish budget carrier Ryanair and Southwest Airlines follow with 205 and 204, respectively.
US airlines Alaska Airlines, Avelo Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines also operate the 737-800, but operators reach virtually every corner of the globe.
The Boeing 737-800 is not the same as the 737 Max
The 737-800 model does not have the same system that caused its successor, the 737 Max, to crash in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.
That system, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, was blamed for the crashes.
Thanks to their more powerful and fuel-efficient engines, the Max 8 and Max 9 planes in service can fly about 500 miles further than the 737-800. The Max jets can also hold more passengers compared.
Boeing stopped producing the 737-800 in late 2019 when it replaced the NG family with the Max.
There are about 4,800 Max jets on backorder. Production resumed in December following a worker strike at its Washington factories.
