By 1987, however, the 737 was the most ordered plane in commercial history, according to Boeing. Its success came as a result of the plane's first major redesign, which debuted with the 737-300 in 1984.

The Boeing 737 is one of the most successful aircraft in aviation history. Since its first flight in 1967, it has become the best-selling commercial jet ever, with over 12,000 units delivered and thousands more on order as of 2026. Originally nicknamed the "Baby Boeing," its success stems from its incredible versatility; it evolved from a short-haul regional jet to a transcontinental workhorse across four generations (Original, Classic, Next Generation, and MAX). It revolutionized travel by making point-to-point jet service affordable for smaller cities. Despite the significant safety challenges and grounding of the 737 MAX in 2019, the platform's reliability and economics have kept it as the backbone of global airline fleets, particularly for low-cost carriers like Southwest and Ryanair.