The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of Boeing's 737 series, a narrow-body airliner designed for efficiency and competing primarily with the Airbus A320neo family and, in China, with the Comac C919. It was officially announced in August 2011, with its first flight taking place in January 2016. The aircraft was certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2017, and the first delivery went to Malindo Air in May 2017.

The 737 MAX is an updated version of previous 737 models, featuring more efficient CFM International LEAP-1B engines, aerodynamic improvements like split-tip winglets, and modifications to its airframe. The aircraft comes in several variants, typically seating between 138 to 204 passengers, depending on the configuration. The range of the aircraft spans between 3,300 and 3,850 nautical miles (about 6,110 to 7,130 km). The 737 MAX 7, 8, and 9 are designed to replace the older 737-700, -800, and -900, respectively, while a stretched version, the 737 MAX 10, is also available. Additionally, a high-capacity version of the MAX 8, the 737 MAX 8-200, was developed with Ryanair. However, the MAX 7 and MAX 10 had not been certified as of January 2025. By March 2025, Boeing had delivered 1,784 737 MAX aircraft and had an order backlog of 4,761 more, with the MAX 8 being the most popular variant.

However, the 737 MAX faced major setbacks after two fatal crashes due to avionics issues: Lion Air Flight 610 in late 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in early 2019. In response, the aircraft was grounded worldwide from March 2019 until November 2020. Investigations revealed that Boeing had not fully communicated the avionics systems to operators, and the crashes cost the company around $20 billion in fines, compensation, and legal fees, with indirect losses exceeding $60 billion from canceled orders. In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle a fraud conspiracy case with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Further investigations uncovered that both Boeing and the FAA had been involved in improper practices related to the aircraft's certification, including covering up key information and retaliating against whistleblowers.

After extensive design changes and retraining requirements, the FAA cleared the 737 MAX to return to service on November 18, 2020. By December 2021, the majority of the world's countries had cleared the aircraft, although China lifted its grounding in early 2022. In January 2024, a decompression incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, caused by a door plug that was not properly installed during production, led to another grounding order for certain 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The FAA required inspections, and the affected aircraft were returned to service by the end of that month after the problem was addressed. A subsequent audit revealed additional issues with the production process.