China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou) will have the honor of taking delivery of the 4,000th Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft.

Boeing (Chicago) executives and more than 500 employees, suppliers, union representatives and government officials joined with China Southern Airlines on Friday (April 13) to celebrate the building of the 4,000th Next-Generation 737 at a special event at Seattle’s Boeing Field.

The 4,000th Next-Generation 737 jetliner which came off the Renton 737 production line, will be delivered this coming week to China Southern Airlines.

China Southern Airlines is commemorating its own milestone as this airplane will be the 75th 737 delivered directly to the airline. The carrier has an additional 45 737-700/-800s on order. China Southern is the largest airline in China and operates a fleet of 450 airplanes, making it the 6th largest carrier worldwide.

The 4,000th Next-Generation 737 is a 737-700 model that seats 126 passengers in a two-class configuration with the new Boeing Sky Interior.

According to Boeing, “more 737s have been produced than any other commercial jetliner in history and continues to hit the record books as the program produces airplanes at record rates. The gap between each Next-Generation 737 record delivery is shrinking. It took Boeing three years and one month between the 2,000th and 3,000th, while the gap between the 3,000th and 4,000th delivery is just two years and eight months. With 737 production rates increasing incrementally to a record 42 airplanes a month in the first half of 2014, the gap will continue to close.

The Next-Generation 737 family has won more than 6,600 orders and has a diverse backlog exceeding 2,600 airplanes.

With more than 5,550 airplanes in service, the 737 family represents more than a quarter of the total worldwide fleet of large commercial jets flying today. More than 358 airlines in 114 countries fly 737s.”

Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker. Boeing 737-71B B-5283 (msn 38919) completed its first flight on April 4. The jetliner carries a special “4,000th Next-Generation 737” sticker by the nose.

China Southern Slide Show: CLICK HERE