Boeing Considering A 737-900 Model

The Boeing Co., already working on nine new versions of its commercial jets, is considering a tenth: an even larger version of its best-selling 737.

If built, the plane probably will be called the 737-900. It would hold 180 passengers in two classes, or 193 in all-economy configuration.

“I think it’ll probably happen,” Ron Woodard, president of Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, told The News Tribune of Tacoma.

The new plane would hold 34 more passengers than the 737-400, the largest 737 now in service. It also would have 18 more seats than the 737-800, a new-generation plane due to enter service next year.

The 737-900 probably would sell for around $55 million.

Woodard said the new version is needed to counter Airbus Industries’ success with the A321, which can carry 185-199 passengers.