Boeing 737-100

Updated: October 2026 – A short, almost square-looking jet with two slim engines directly under the wing, the nose pointed like on the 727: that is how one of the most successful stories in aviation began. The Boeing 737-100 was the very first version of the 737, and its launch customer came from Germany. It entered scheduled service with Lufthansa in February 1968. Only 30 were built, and just one survives. Here you will learn how the original 737 came about, how to recognize it, what sets it apart from the 737-200 and where you can visit the last example.

What is the Boeing 737-100?

The 737-100 is the first model of the Boeing 737, a twin-engine narrowbody jet for short and medium-haul routes. In a dense layout it had room for up to about 118 passengers, powered by two Pratt & Whitney turbofans of the JT8D type. The maximum takeoff weight was about 50 tonnes. Today it is counted, together with the stretched 737-200, as part of the 737 Original generation – the family from which the Classic, NG and MAX versions later emerged.

What is special about the -100 is its role as a beginning: the 737 is among the most-produced airliners of all time, but the original version itself remained a small chapter. After only 30 examples, the longer 737-200 took over production. You get an overview of all generations in the article Telling Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX apart, and more about the manufacturer on the page about Boeing.

The backstory: Boeing, latecomer in the short-haul market

In the mid-1960s Boeing was late to the short-haul market. The British BAC One-Eleven and the Douglas DC-9 had shown that airlines wanted small jets for dense networks, and both were already sold while Boeing was still planning. So Boeing relied on the proven: the fuselage cross-section and cockpit shape were taken from the Boeing 707 and the 727, as were many systems. That saved development time and brought an advantage the competition did not have: six seats per row instead of five.

For engine position Boeing took a different path from the One-Eleven and DC-9. Instead of at the rear, the two JT8Ds sit under the wing, very close to its underside. That kept the tail free for cabin and cargo, made the engines easy to reach for maintenance and allowed a short, light landing gear. The downside is still visible today: space under the wing is tight, which still occupied Boeing decades later with the big MAX engines. The cockpit was designed for two pilots from the start, without a flight engineer.

The proportion is striking: wingspan and length of the -100 are almost equal, which gives the small Boeing a stocky look.

Lufthansa gives the starting signal

On February 19, 1965 Boeing launched the 737 program – together with the order from Lufthansa. The airline was looking for an economical jet for its European network, and sources give around twenty aircraft for the initial order. The customer designation was 737-130; the “30” stands for Lufthansa under Boeing’s scheme at the time. For the Crane airline this was a historic step: it was the first airline outside the US to launch a new Boeing airliner as the launch customer.

In April 1965 came an order that decisively shaped the history of the 737. United Airlines wanted more seats and ordered a stretched version. That became the 737-200 – and so the -100 was no longer the only model even before its first flight.

The first prototype rolled out of the hangar on January 17, 1967 and flew on April 9, 1967, piloted by Boeing test pilots Brien Wygle and Lew Wallick. The US aviation authority, the FAA, granted type certification on December 15, 1967. In doing so the 737 became the first aircraft to receive approval for Category II approaches, that is, landings in significantly reduced visibility, with its initial certification.

Lufthansa took delivery of its first aircraft on December 28, 1967 and used the 737 in scheduled service from February 10, 1968. In total 22 aircraft came to Lufthansa, delivered until early 1969. Internally the type was known as the “B 737 A.” You can read more about the airline’s role in today’s group on the page about the Lufthansa Group.

Why only 30 examples?

The -100 quickly lost out to its own sister. The 737-200 first flew in August 1967, was certified a few days after the -100 and entered service with United in April 1968. It offered more seats, more fuel and a much longer range – at almost the same operating cost per flight. For most airlines the math was clear.

Besides Lufthansa, only two other customers ordered the -100 new: Malaysia-Singapore Airlines took five aircraft, and Avianca ordered two. The last 737-100 built went to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines in October 1969. After that Boeing built only the -200 and its further developments.

Feature	737-100	737-200
ICAO type designator	B731	B732
First flight	April 9, 1967	August 8, 1967
Launch customer	Lufthansa	United Airlines
Length	about 28.6 m	about 30.5 m
Seats (max.)	about 118	about 130
Max. takeoff weight	about 50 t	about 58 t
Built	30	over 1,100

The extra fuselage of the -200 sits in roughly equal parts ahead of and behind the wing. If you compare the two versions in old photos, you therefore see more windows ahead of the wing root on the -200 and a somewhat more stretched ratio of fuselage to wing.

Technology in detail: thrust reversers and improvements

The first 737s had a problem that quickly became apparent in service. The thrust reversers came from the outer nacelles of the 727 and did not work well under the 737 wing. When deployed, they could even lift the aircraft slightly and thereby reduce the braking effect of the wheels.

Boeing responded in 1968 with a rework: the engine nacelles received an extension of the exhaust pipe of about 1.2 meters and new clamshell-style thrust reversers that redirect the exhaust jet more effectively. From March 1969 this was standard, and a retrofit was available for aircraft already delivered. At the same time Boeing improved fairings at the junction of nacelle and wing as well as the flaps and slats, which increased payload, range and performance on short runways.

For spotters that means: in early photos you see short ends on the nacelles with the old reverser, in later pictures a longer exhaust pipe behind the wing. You will find more about the engine manufacturer at Pratt & Whitney.

How to recognize a 737-100

Since only one example remains, you will mostly identify the -100 in the museum and on historic photos. Three steps are enough.

How to check such features systematically is explained in the primer Aircraft type recognition for beginners. For older types, How to recognize vintage aircraft in the sky is also worthwhile.

The second life of the 737-100

Lufthansa flew its -100s until the early 1980s and sold them between 1981 and 1983. Buyers included the US low-cost airline People Express and Far Eastern Air Transport of Taiwan. The five aircraft of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines went to Air Florida in 1979 and 1980. The two aircraft built for Avianca, according to common accounts, never entered service with the Colombian airline and went via Boeing to Aloha Airlines in Hawaii.

The last -100 built had a particularly long career: after Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and Air Florida it served for 23 years as a VIP aircraft of the Mexican air force before being broken up in 2006. Today no 737-100 flies anymore, and with the exception of the prototype all examples have disappeared.

NASA 515: the first 737 as a research aircraft

The very first 737 prototype with the construction number 19437 initially stayed with Boeing as a test aircraft. In the early 1970s NASA took it over, registered it as N515NA and operated it from the Langley Research Center in Virginia. As a flying laboratory, the aircraft tested, among other things, electronic cockpit displays, an additional research cockpit in the cabin and systems for detecting wind shear – technology that later became standard in scheduled service.

After more than two decades of research the service ended, and the aircraft came back to Seattle. Since 2003 it has been part of the collection of the Museum of Flight, on loan from NASA. That makes it not only the first 737 ever but, according to common accounts, also the last surviving 737-100.

Where you can see the 737-100 today

There is exactly one address: the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. NASA 515 stands there in the Aviation Pavilion, a covered exhibition area open at the sides, next to other Boeing classics. The location has a bonus for spotters: the museum sits directly at an active airport where Boeing aircraft are regularly seen as well. You will find tips on the vantage point at the spot Museum of Flight at Boeing Field.

Place	What you see	Note
Museum of Flight, Seattle	Prototype 737-130, construction number 19437, as NASA 515	Aviation Pavilion, on loan from NASA
Boeing Field, Seattle	Active flight operations next to the museum	Museum visit and spotting can be combined

No surviving 737-100 stands in Germany, even though Lufthansa was the most important operator. If you want to go looking for traces in German-speaking countries, the overview of aviation museums in Germany lists museums with exhibits from the early jet era.

Spotting tips: hunting rarities on purpose

A 737-100 will no longer show up at your fence – the only example does not fly. If you want to add the original 737 to your collection, you plan a trip. Somewhat easier, but also rare by now, is the sister 737-200, which long flew with special operators in remote regions – whether and where it is still active, you are best off checking currently. You will find ideas for that in Spotting rare aircraft.

Photo tips for the museum 737

Which focal length suits what is explained in Lens and focal length for plane spotting. If you are interested in the colors of the early jet era, you will find them in the legendary airline liveries.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The 737-100 is the small beginning of a huge family. Boeing came late to the short-haul market, relied on the wide fuselage of the 707 and 727 and hung the engines under the wing. Lufthansa gave the starting signal in 1965 and brought the type into scheduled service in 1968. Because the stretched 737-200 quickly convinced, it stayed at 30 examples, and only the prototype has survived. For spotters the -100 is therefore a target for trip planning: once Seattle, once NASA 515.