Alaska is retiring some of its oldest jets next year. Currently, the Seattle-based airline’s fleet includes eight Boeing 737-900s.
These aircraft — which are different from the 737-900ER variant — have an average age of nearly 23 years old. They are a rather rare type, too, with only 37 in service around the world, according to Cirium Fleet Analyzer data.
In 2001, Alaska became the launch customer for the 737-900. At the time, it was the largest variant of Boeing’s best-selling aircraft type.
Next year, the carrier plans to retire its few remaining 737-900s. In an August filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Alaska noted that the sub-fleet will drop to six aircraft by the end of 2024, then zero in 2025.
On Tuesday, the airline retired two more 737-900s — registered as N305AS and N306AS — leaving only eight in the carrier’s fleet. Interestingly, N305AS was the first-ever 737-900 to enter service, delivered on May 15, 2001.
The aircraft were ferried from the carrier’s Seattle hub to a storage facility at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona. Schedule data from Cirium Diio shows the 737-900s operating through January 2025.
Alaska has no immediate plans to phase out its fleet of 79 737-900ERs (Extended Range). This type is a far more popular version of the 737-900, with nearly 500 in service worldwide.
