FlySafair (FA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has signed lease agreements with AerCap for three new B737-8s - marking the airline's introduction of the B737 MAX - and two B737-800s, the companies announced at the Dubai Airshow on November 18.

The South African budget carrier will begin taking delivery of the B737-800s from the third quarter of 2026, while the MAX 8s are scheduled to arrive from the first quarter of 2028. The deal also represents FlySafair's first partnership with AerCap.

FlySafair's marketing chief Kirby Gordon said that adding the MAX reflects a "meaningful investment in efficiency, sustainability, and passenger experience."

FlySafair currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 40 aircraft, including thirty-four mostly leased B737-800s sourced from a variety of lessors; five company-owned B737-400s; and one company-owned B737-400(C).

The airline first revealed its B737 MAX plans in August 2023, when Gordon acknowledged that FlySafair would need to migrate to it "sometime after 2024 when second-hand options of the type become more affordable".

"The reality is that there will come a time when our [B737-800] NGs will be too old, and we will need to start bringing MAX into the fleet," he said at the time.

The arrival of the B737 MAX will likely see the phase-out of the airline's own B737-400s as FlySafair will avoid operating three types. Gordon previously said FlySafair aimed to transition to a single-type B737-800NG fleet by phasing out its -400s before introducing the B737 MAX.