Boeing and American Complete First 737 MAX Landing Gear Exchange

Boeing and American Airlines have completed the first landing gear exchange for a Boeing 737 MAX. Boeing announced the milestone on Sep 14, 2026, from Plano, Texas.

The exchange marks the extension of Boeing’s long-running Landing Gear Exchange Program to the 737 MAX. Boeing said the swap shows it can deliver fully overhauled, Boeing-certified main and nose landing gear assemblies that arrive ready to install.

How the exchange works

Landing gear must be overhauled at set intervals. An airline can keep its own spare gear, or it can take an aircraft out of service while its gear is overhauled. Both options cost money.

Boeing’s program offers another route. Instead of buying and storing expensive spare gear, an operator reserves a “forward-exchange” slot. Boeing then supplies an overhauled and certified set of gear in exchange.

For the American Airlines exchange, Boeing supplied overhauled and certified main and nose landing gear assemblies with installation kits. Wheels, tires and brakes were not included. Boeing said the swap tested the full process, from technical overhaul and paperwork through to delivery. It said this showed the approach can be used consistently across the MAX fleet.

What Boeing handles

Under the program, Boeing manages the technical overhaul, the incorporation of applicable service bulletins, certification and supplier coordination. Boeing says this moves inventory and obsolescence risk away from the operator.

According to Boeing, the benefits for airlines include:

• Shorter aircraft-on-ground (AOG) time
• Less need to buy and store spare gear
• Freed-up working capital
• More predictable heavy maintenance planning

“This milestone reinforces what our customers have known for years: Boeing’s Landing Gear Exchange capability delivers predictable, safe and cost-effective outcomes,” said William Ampofo, Senior Vice President, Parts & Distribution and Supply Chain, Boeing Global Services.

“Extending the program to the 737 MAX gives operators another proven tool to shorten downtime, manage costs and align heavy maintenance with operational needs,” he added.

Growing capacity

Boeing said it is increasing global overhaul capacity and working with certified maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) partners to make the program available in more regions and to shorten lead times.

Its near-term priorities are:

• Building a larger stock of 737 MAX-capable exchange gear
• Adding forward-exchange slots close to where customers operate
• Tracking operational data to measure how much downtime and cost the program saves as it grows

Why it matters

The program had already been available for earlier Boeing types. With the first MAX exchange complete, Boeing says 737 MAX operators can now avoid lengthy in-place overhauls and the risk of extended groundings when gear work falls due.

Boeing did not say how many exchange sets it has available, which other airlines have signed up, or what the program costs.