The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified the high-density Boeing 737 MAX 8200, a model based on the 737 MAX 8 that is able to seat up to 200 passengers in an all-economy configuration.

The FAA certified the Boeing 737 MAX 8200 on March 31, 2021, as first reported by the Air Current. The MAX 8200, developed specifically for low-cost carriers, incorporates two additional exit doors in order to accommodate the increased passenger capacity. While a typical 737 MAX 8 is certified to seat up to 189 passengers, the MAX 8200 is now certified to accommodate up to 200 travelers in an all-economy class cabin layout.

Boeing and Ryanair launched the MAX 8200 in September 2014. “For everyone at Boeing, it is an honor to launch the 737 MAX 200 with Ryanair, one of the world's most successful all-Boeing operators,” at the time commented the then-president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Ray Conner.

Most recently, Ryanair increased the total number of orders for the 737 MAX by 75 units, taking its total order book for the aircraft type to 210 in December 2020. The only other airline with an order for the MAX 8200 is Vietnam’s VietJet, which ordered 100 units of the type in 2016.

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Neither the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) nor the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has certified the 737 MAX 8200. While EASA has approved the Boeing 737 MAX to once again operate within Europe, Vietnam is yet to re-approve the aircraft type flying in the country. The Vietnamese authorities announced that they issued a recommendation to Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) to allow the 737 MAX to utilize the country’s air space, without being able to land at Vietnamese airports just yet, in March 2021.

"EASA expects to validate the certification for Europe within a few working days of the FAA certification announcement," an EASA spokesperson clarified the certification timeline in an emailed statement to AeroTime News.

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