Overview
- Boeing passed an FAA capstone review and began running its 737 MAX line toward a 47-aircraft-per-month rate, company CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Wednesday.
- The FAA publicly supported the jump from 42 to 47 and said it expects further 737 MAX production increases in the coming 30 to 90 days.
- Boeing aims next to reach 52 per month by qualifying a fourth production line in Everett and is hiring workers to staff that line.
- Certification work continues for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 with the FAA expecting the MAX 7 this summer and the MAX 10 this year, but an engine anti-ice fix and parts shortages for cabin seats and 787 engines remain constraints.
- Raising MAX output is central to Boeing’s plan to generate cash, cut debt and reassure customers after past safety and factory lapses, while a recent China commitment for narrowbodies offers new market demand.