Laraba ta yi wani gagarumin ci gaba mai daci a tarihin jiragen sama.
Kamfanin jiragen sama na United Airlines, wanda shi ne jirgin farko da ya fara maida Boeing 737 a matsayin babban jigon jiragensa shekaru 41 da suka gabata, ya yi ritaya na karshe na wadannan jiragen sama a cikin wani biki da ya taso daga Virginia zuwa California.
Jirgin dai shi ne na karshe cikin jiragen Boeing 94 guda 737 da United ta dakatar tun daga watan Satumban 2008. Wannan mummunan tafiyar da ya jawo dubban ma'aikatan United din suka yi asarar ayyukansu amma mai yiwuwa ne ya ceci jirgin daga bala'in kudi yayin da kasuwar tafiye-tafiye ta ruguje a lokacin sanyin da ya gabata biyo bayan rushewar Wall Street, in ji manazarta.
Jirgin saman United Boeing 737 na karshe, yana tafiya a matsayin Jirgin sama mai lamba 737, ya taso daga filin jirgin saman Washington Dulles kafin wayewar ranar Laraba kuma ya isa kowane tashar jiragen ruwa yayin da yake kan hanyarsa ta zuwa wani katafaren ginin kulawa a San Francisco.
Makanikai za su tube jirgin su shirya shi don tafiya ta ƙarshe zuwa tsakiyar hamadar California, inda za a ajiye shi.
Hakuri kan tafiya ta karshe da jirgin ya yi, wata alama ce ta sha'awar da zirga-zirgar jiragen sama ke yi wa mutane da yawa, tun daga mayaƙan hanya zuwa ma'aikatan jirgin sama. Amma ba kowa ba ne zai yi murna da ritayar United 737.
"Kamar rasa babban abokina ne," in ji Jeff Ecklund, wanda ya yi jigilar 737s na tsawon shekaru shida a United kafin ya rasa aikinsa a watan Satumba. Yana daya daga cikin matukan jirgi 1,450 da aka fusata yayin da United ta yi watsi da jiragenta 737 da jirage kirar Boeing 747 na jumbo guda shida. "Muna son haɗawa da waɗannan manyan sassan aluminum."
Jirgin na karshe na jet din ya kuma kawo karshen wani zamani a United da ke Chicago, wacce ke da hannu wajen sanya jet din fasinja 737 da ya fi kowane lokaci siyar.
Lokacin da United ta sanya Boeing 737 na farko a cikin sabis a cikin 1968, fasinjoji har yanzu sun ba da gudummawar mafi kyawun ranar Lahadi don balaguron jirgin sama kuma an yi ta cece-kuce kan ko a kori ma'aikatan jirgin saboda yin aure.
Neman jet don maye gurbin jiragensa, United ta zaɓi Boeing 737-200, ya zama abokin ciniki don ƙaddamar da sigar farko ta jet ɗin da za a yi amfani da ita sosai (kawai an sayar da kaɗan na ƙarni na farko na jet).
737, a bi da bi, sun kawo sauyi kan tafiye-tafiyen jirgin sama. Yana da ɗan ƙaramin nauyi, yana zaune kusan mutane 120 kuma yana buƙatar matukan jirgi biyu kawai a cikin jirgin, maimakon uku kamar waɗanda suka gabace shi.
A hannun Kamfanin Jiragen Sama na Kudu maso Yamma, wanda ke dauke da jirage masu saukar ungulu guda 737, da sauran jiragen masu rahusa, ya zama jirgin sama ga talakawa. Na baya-bayan nan na jirgin har yanzu yana da karfin siyar da Boeing, wanda ya samu umarni sama da 6,000 a tsawon rayuwar 737.
"Ya yi daidai girman, daidaitaccen aikin tattalin arziki a daidai lokacin," in ji mai ba da shawara kan harkokin sufurin jiragen sama Robert Mann na nasarar da jirgin ya samu.
United ta sayi jirage 233 na Boeing kunkuntar jiki a cikin raƙuman ruwa biyu na faɗaɗa: a ƙarshen 1960s da ƙarshen 1980 zuwa 1993. Amma lokacin da aka fuskanci zaɓe mai tsauri na daidaita jigilar jiragenta yayin da farashin mai ya ƙaru a watan Yuni 2008, United ta zaɓi daina 737 “classic” kamar yadda aka san su a cikin jirgin sama, maimakon ƙaramin jirginsa na Airbus A320s.
Jiragen sama na 737 na ƙarshe na United sun yi ƙara da masu sha'awar zirga-zirgar jiragen sama, in ji Tom Lee. Shi babban jami'in kula da sararin samaniya ne na Los Angeles kuma mai sha'awar jirgin sama wanda ya yi tafiya a kan wasu jirage biyu na tarihi: tafiye-tafiyen kasuwanci na farko na Boeing 747 jumbo jet da Airbus A380 mai hawa biyu.
Wasu sun shiga jam’iyyar ne saboda suna da tunanin jirgin da kansa, in ji shi. Ga wasu, haɗin ya fi asali.
"Dole ne ya zama abin sha'awar jirgin," in ji Lee. "Akwai wani abu da mutum ke sha'awar yada fuka-fukinsa, ya tashi daga kasa yana fatan zai iya tashi."
