TUI Group has retired its final Boeing 737-700, completing the standardisation of its single-aisle fleet around the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8. The last aircraft of the type, a 21-year-old jet registered OO-JAR and operated by TUI fly Belgium, has been decommissioned and will be scrapped, according to ch-aviation and Airfleets.
The move concludes a long-running fleet simplification strategy aimed at reducing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) costs and streamlining crew training. TUI has confirmed it has no plans to introduce the smaller 737-7 variant of the MAX family.
The 737 MAX 8 plays a central role in the group’s future operations, offering around 16% lower fuel consumption, which improves profitability on leisure routes to the Mediterranean and North Africa. TUI has dozens of additional MAX aircraft on order to replace older jets.
The fleet change coincides with wider restructuring at TUI fly Belgium, which has ended long-haul operations from Brussels and transferred its Boeing 787 Dreamliners to other group airlines in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. From now on, TUI’s medium-haul network will rely exclusively on the 737-800 and 737 MAX 8, with three Embraer E195-E2s in Belgium as an exception.