Boeing Co was preparing for the maiden flight of the largest member of the 737 MAX family. As per the sources, the plane maker is trying to close the sales gap with a competitor Airbus jet. It is expected that the first voyage of the 737 MAX 10 will take place around 10 am local time from the Seattle area.

Experts say that the flight will undergo months of testing and certification before it finally enters service in 2023. It was expected that event would be kept quiet considering the fact that the company is trying to recover from the overlapping crisis owing to the 20-month safety grounding of the MAX and the global pandemic.

Boeing’s 230-seat 737-10 will successfully fill the gap between its 178-to-220-seat 737-9, and the 185-to-240-seat A321neo. The A321neo is at the top of narrow-body jet market, and over the last 20 years, it has been worth approximately $3.5 trillion.

However, there is one constraint of 737 MAX 10’s market opportunity. The jet’s range is 3300 nm (6100 km), which is less than A321neo’s 4000 nm.

Boeing should also make sure that the plane completes its safety certification under a tougher regulatory climate because of the two prior crashes of a small version of 737 MAX, because of which the model was grounded for nearly two years.