The Boeing 737-800—the type of aircraft involved in Monday’s loss of a China Eastern Airlines jet in southern China—has a global reputation as an airline workhorse and comes with a good safety record.
It’s widely operated by airlines throughout the world, including all four major U.S. passenger carriers: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines.
Since it entered service in 1998, the 737-800 has been involved in 11 fatal accidents, including a shoot-down by Iran’s military in 2020. Before 2020’s tragic Iranian incident, the previous fatal flight involving a 737-800 was the 2010 loss of an Air India Express jet at India’s Mangalore-Bajpe Airport (VOML). According to the Flight Safety Foundation, the accident was blamed on pilot error. Of 166 people on board, 158 passengers and all six crew members were killed.
