Narrowbody · ICAO B734

Boeing 737-400

The Boeing 737-400 is a stretched version of the 737 Classic family, extending the -300's fuselage for extra passenger capacity on the same wing and engines. Its longer tail required a small tail-skid to protect against striking the runway during a steep takeoff rotation, a feature not needed on the shorter -300. It became a popular choice for airlines wanting more seats without moving up to a larger, more expensive aircraft type. Many remained in active passenger and cargo service for decades after production ended.

Boeing 737-400, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Mike Burdett · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The 737-400's longer tail needed a small tail-skid to guard against striking the runway during a steep takeoff rotation.

Specifications

Length36.4 m (119 ft)
Wingspan28.9 m (95 ft)
Height11.1 m (37 ft)
Maximum passengers168
Persons on board146-188
Maximum take-off weight68 t
Range2,060 NM (3,815 km)
Maximum speed473 kt (876 km/h)
Service ceiling37,000 ft (11,278 m)
Optimum ceiling33,000 ft (10,058 m)
Rate of climb3,000 ft/min (15.2 m/s)
Take-off distance2,664 m (8,740 ft)
Landing distance1,539 m (5,049 ft)
Fuel capacity23,170 l
Engines2x CFM56-3
Units built486

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Boeing 737-400 starts as a Uncommon catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Boeing, the 737 Classic family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

More from the 737 Classic family

Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.

Browse all aircraft types, or learn to tell Airbus from Boeing.

Download

Catch what flies overhead

CatchFlights is free on the App Store for iPhone. On Android it is in closed testing on Google Play — join the testers and help shape the game.

iPhone · Android (beta)