Boeing 737-700

Updated: October 2026 – A 737 taxis to the runway, you know the pointed nose and the flattened engines from Ryanair, but something looks shorter and stubbier: you may well be looking at a Boeing 737-700. It was long an everyday sight at European airports, and by now it has become a rarity here. On this page you learn how to reliably tell it from the 737-800, 737 MAX and Airbus A319, which special versions are based on it and where you can still get it in front of your lens in the German-speaking region and its neighbors.

What is the Boeing 737-700?

The 737-700 is the base model of the third 737 generation, the so-called Next Generation (NG). The family also includes the smaller 737-600 and the stretched versions 737-800 and 737-900ER. In the fleets of many airlines, the -700 replaced the 737-300 and competes in the same size class as the Airbus A319.

At 33.6 meters long, it is a compact narrowbody jet. In a typical two-class layout there is room for 126 passengers, and up to 149 in an all-economy configuration. According to manufacturer data, the standard version flies about 5,570 kilometers with a full two-class cabin – enough for routes across Europe or from the northwest of the USA to the East Coast.

Compared with the older 737 Classic models, Boeing above all redesigned the wing for the NG: it is about a quarter larger, the span grew by almost five meters, and the tanks hold much more fuel. In addition came a revised tail, a glass cockpit and the new engine generation CFM56-7B. There are no other engines for the -700. Many aircraft later received winglets, which increase the span to about 35.8 meters. You can read more about the manufacturer in the profile of Boeing.

History: from Southwest into the world

The starting signal for the Next Generation came in November 1993, when Southwest Airlines ordered 63 737-700s. The low-cost airline from Texas flew only 737s at the time and wanted to fly more economically and farther with the new generation without giving up its single-type principle.

On December 8, 1996, the first 737-700 rolled out of the hangar in Renton, and the first flight followed on February 9, 1997. In December 1997, Southwest took over the first production aircraft. That made the -700 the first NG member in scheduled service; the 737-800 joined a few months later.

In Europe, the -700 found buyers mainly among leisure and low-cost airlines. In Germany, Air Berlin, Germania and Hamburg International, among others, flew the type; all three no longer exist today. TUIfly also operated 737-700s for years but now only uses larger 737s. By the end of production, a good 1,100 delivered airliners were on the books for the -700, with the special versions on top.

The special versions based on the -700

Hardly any 737 variant has spawned as many offshoots as the -700:

• BBJ (Boeing Business Jet): The business-travel and government version combines the -700 fuselage with the wings and landing gear of the -800 and has extra tanks. The first BBJ was unveiled in August 1998. A well-known example in Europe is the Dutch government aircraft PH-GOV, a 737-700 BBJ.
• 737-700C and C-40 Clipper: A combi version with a large cargo door on the left side, in which seats can be swapped for cargo. The launch customer was the US Navy, which uses it as the C-40A Clipper.
• 737-700ER: A long-range version with extra tanks, launched in 2006 with All Nippon Airways as launch customer.
• E-7 Wedgetail (737-700W): An airborne early warning and control aircraft with a large radar blade on the top of the fuselage, in service in Australia, South Korea and Turkey, among others.

The BBJ and the military versions in particular are interesting for spotters because they show up far from scheduled traffic. How to plan for such aircraft is explained in the articles Spotting business jets and Spotting government aircraft.

The three features that are enough to identify it

All Next Generation 737s look almost the same from the front. Length, exits and engines make the difference.

This combination narrows it down reliably in the vast majority of cases. In the end, the registration confirms the type – you can look the aircraft up in any database with it. How to read registrations and what the country prefixes mean is explained in the guide Understanding aircraft registrations.

737-700, 737-800 or 737 MAX?

Most mix-ups lurk within the 737 family. The most important differences at a glance:

Feature	737-700	737-800	737 MAX 8
ICAO type designator	B737	B738	B38M
Length	33.6 m	39.5 m	39.5 m
Overwing exits (per side)	usually 1	2	2
Engine	CFM56-7B	CFM56-7B	CFM LEAP-1B
Nacelle trailing edge	smooth	smooth	serrated
Wingtip	none, blended or split scimitar winglet	none, blended or split scimitar winglet	split AT winglets

The table shows: against the 737-800, length and exits decide; against the 737 MAX 8, the engines and wingtips. The direct successor of the -700 is the 737 MAX 7, whose certification dragged on for years. It is somewhat longer than the -700 and also carries the large LEAP-1B engines – so if you see a short 737 with fat, serrated nacelles, it is not a -700.

You meet the 737-600, the smallest NG member, less often. It was built only in small numbers and is visibly even shorter. And then there is the old 737-300 from the Classic generation, which is almost as long as the -700. It has much shorter wings and older CFM56-3 engines, though; in Europe it is hardly ever seen in passenger service anymore.

737-700 or Airbus A319?

The A319 is the direct competitor – almost the same length, also with one exit per side. Here the question of manufacturer helps, not length.

You find the basic rules for telling the two manufacturers apart in the article Telling Airbus and Boeing apart. If you are just starting out, Recognizing aircraft types for beginners gives you a good overview.

Where you find the 737-700

Worldwide, the 737-700 is mainly associated with Southwest Airlines. The airline still operates the largest fleet but is shrinking it: according to its annual report for 2025, it retired 48 of its oldest -700s that year and is gradually replacing the type with the 737 MAX. In North America, WestJet and United Airlines also most recently still had -700s in their fleets – how much longer depends partly on when the MAX 7 is delivered.

In Europe, the situation is much thinner. Transavia retired its last 737-700 in December 2024, and TUI fly Belgium followed in December 2025 with OO-JAR, the last -700 in the TUI group. The best-known European operator is therefore KLM: it most recently had only a small number of 737-700s in its fleet for European traffic from Amsterdam and is converting its short-haul fleet step by step to the A320neo family. Whether individual aircraft are still flying is best checked currently. KLM belongs to the group Air France-KLM and to the alliance SkyTeam.

On top of that come the business and government jets. BBJs based on the -700 land regularly at airports with a lot of business and diplomatic traffic. They often wear plain liveries and are especially appealing to collectors.

Place	Chance of success	Why
Amsterdam Schiphol	medium	Home base of the remaining KLM 737-700s
German airports with KLM connections	low to medium	Individual KLM rotations, check current use
Geneva, Zurich	low, but rewarding	BBJ and government flights at conferences and summits
Vacation airports	low	European charter fleets have largely replaced the -700

How to follow such flights live and what ADS-B data tells you is shown in the guide to Flight tracking with ADS-B. Why rarities like these make up the appeal of the hobby, you can read in Spotting rare aircraft.

Spotting tips: where the 737-700 comes in front of your lens

If you want to see the -700 with a high probability, go to Amsterdam. The Polderbaan spotting place at Schiphol Airport is one of the best-known spots in Europe. Whether landings or takeoffs are happening there at the moment depends on the runway direction in use – Schiphol often changes its runways depending on the wind.

In Germany, it remains more a matter of luck. At Hamburg Airport, the Affenfelsen offers a good view of landings, and in Düsseldorf the observation deck at Düsseldorf Airport. Both airports are connected to Amsterdam; which aircraft type flies a given rotation is often decided at short notice, though.

For BBJs, the Swiss airports are a good address. The observation deck in Geneva and the spectator terrace B in Zurich are close to the action, and at international conferences, government and business jets regularly show up there.

For every location, the runway direction in use decides whether you get landings or takeoffs in front of you. How to judge it in advance is explained in the article Understanding runway direction in use at an airport. Whether your vantage point is permitted is clarified by Is plane spotting allowed?.

Photo tips specifically for the 737-700

The 737-700 is a type you can now collect deliberately before it disappears from Europe. A few points help you with that.

When the light fits at your spot, you calculate with the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot. Which lenses make sense is in Lenses and focal length for plane spotting, and which camera settings work well in Camera settings for plane spotting.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Besides the 737 family and the A319, the -700 is occasionally mistaken for larger regional jets like the Embraer E195 or the Airbus A220-300. Both have a completely different nose, though, and the A220 carries strikingly large engines relative to its fuselage.

Conclusion

The 737-700 is the compact sister of the ubiquitous -800 and was a familiar sight for a long time. Once you pay attention to length and exits, you recognize it quickly. It is exciting today because it is becoming a rarity in Europe: Transavia and TUI fly Belgium have already retired it, and KLM is switching. On top come BBJs, C-40s and Wedgetails, which make the type interesting beyond scheduled traffic too.