Boeing CEO says 737 Max production to start on new line July 6
RENTON, WASHINGTON — Boeing’s The company will begin production of the new 737 Max planes on July 6 at a final assembly line to open north of Seattle, CEO Kelly Ortberg told CNBC on Friday.
“We’re adding another production line, which is essentially a carbon copy of what you see in Renton,” Ortberg said. “We will load our first plane on July 6, so we will bring this in about a month later. [fourth] The line is alive.”
The new 737 Max final assembly line in Everett, Washington, will serve as a catalyst to increase Max production to 52 jets per month; This pace is expected to start next year. Boeing currently produces 47 Maxes per month after increasing production from 42 earlier this year.
While Boeing wanted to build and deliver more 737 Max planes, its production was limited by the Federal Aviation Administration, which put limits on production after a door fuse blew on one plane. Alaska Airlines Aircraft in January 2024.
This incident led to a lengthy review of safety and quality issues in the manufacturing process at Boeing.
“We’re trying to reset that record, and I think we’ve done a good job over the last 18 months of coming back here and increasing the rate, and we’ve done it in a different way,” Ortberg said. “We’ve made sure that we won’t move until the production system is stable. We’re not pushing things down the production line like we did before. So I think that gives us all optimism.”
Ortberg and Boeing leadership set a long-term goal of maximum production of 63 units per month if the supply chain can support the increase.
The new assembly line will begin with production of the 737 Max 10, a flexible version of the single-aisle aircraft that is expected to be approved by the FAA before the end of the year, paving the way for the first 737 Max 10 deliveries.
