Seattle-based Alaska Airlines continues to grow its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet. The airline already operates a very young MAX 8 fleet, with the average age of the planes just a year old. Now with 17 of the type, we can expect more MAX 8 to make their way to the airline in the coming months, as the airline has another eight on order.

As the airline accepts more deliveries, the number of flights operated with the type unsurprisingly continues to increase. A look at data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, shows that the number of Alaska flights operated by the type was 1,329 in May, increasing 22% in June to 1,632.

Alaska Takes Off With 22% More Flights Operated By The MAX 8 In June

Credit: Flickr

This June, the most popular route with this type is that of Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), with Alaska scheduling a total of 64 one-way flights (double for return) this June. With the planes configuration to carry 161 passengers across two classes represents a total of 10,304 seats and 9,654,848 available seat miles.

The second busiest route this coming June, with the MAX 8 specifically, will be between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Seattle, accounting for a total of 39 one-way flights, or 6,279 seats (5,990,166 available seat miles). The third busiest route is between Seattle and Fairbanks (FAI), with a total of 33 flights, 5,313 seats, or 8,144,829 available seat miles.

A notable mention in this list is the daily nonstop seasonal flight from Seattle to Reykjavik. This seasonal international service will only kick off on May 28.

1,632 Flights With The MAX 8 In June

Credit: Flickr

Analyzing the numbers from Cirium, 1,632 flights this June total 262,752 seats, close to half a billion available seat miles (ASMs), 441,303,093, to be exact. This is a jump from the 1,329 flights scheduled for May, or 213,741 available seats and 353,035,179 available seat miles.

In May, the most popular route for the MAX 8 is Los Angeles to Seattle, where the carrier will operate a total of 35 one-way flights. This is represented by a total number of 5,623 seats, or 5,364,342 available seat miles. Coming in second is the airline’s international route to Guatemala City, with 31 one-way flights, 4,987 seats, and 10,941,478 available seat miles.

Credit: GCMap

Other notable mentions include Lihue to Seattle (28 flights), Los Angeles to Los Cabos (27), Seattle to Kona (25), San Diego to Los Cabos (23), Seattle to San Jose (23), Seattle to Burbank (22), Fairbanks to Seattle (21), and Dallas/Fort Worth to Seattle (20).

Continued International Expansion At Alaska Airlines

Credit: Alaska Airlines

The last few weeks, Alaska has been celebrating its international expansion to Europe, with the carrier commencing its first service from Seattle to Rome on April 28, followed by London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on May 21.

Transforming Seattle into an international hub, the airline has kept quiet about where its next international long-haul route could be. Those quick enough to spot the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the airline’s new safety video might start to wonder if the airline is planning a trip down under.

According to ch-aviation, Alaska operates more than 250 narrowbody and widebody aircraft, with its MAX 8 fleet continuing to grow, which will undoubtedly enable the airline to add capacity on its most popular routes and potentially even some new domestic and international routes.