Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber
Boeing rolled out a 737 Max airplane at a rate of 38 per month on May 30, reaching a key milestone in its return to production stability, according to people familiar with the company’s factory operations. It’s the first time Boeing has done so since late 2020.
Reaching 38 per month inside its Renton, Washington plant is a key industrial and financial marker for the company as it works to regain solid strategic footing after years of safety crises, development delays, industrial issues, and leadership upheaval, as well as the global pandemic.
Related: Boeing charts ‘aggressive’ 737 Max production ramp-up in 2025
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg during a May 29 investor conference presentation said, “We’re very close — getting very close to achieving that 38 per month rate.” The company confirmed to The Air Current it held an internal “thank you” celebration for employees for the milestone roll-out on Friday with program and company leadership, including Seattle-based Ortberg.
Boeing has used a variety of markers to denote the transition to higher production rates over the last 15 years across its single-aisle and widebody programs. These include the pace at which it begins wing production, when it rolls out an airplane at that higher rate and when it delivers at that pace. The last is Boeing’s current standard for measuring factory output, though the company is taking an extremely cautious approach to signaling the achievement of rate 38 given a desire to stabilize at that output before asking the Federal Aviation Administration to go faster.
Subscribe to continue reading...Subscribe to Continue Reading
Our award-winning aerospace reporting combines the highest standards of journalism with the level of technical detail and rigor expected by a sophisticated industry audience.
- Exclusive reporting and analysis on the strategy and technology of flying
- Full access to our archive of industry intelligence
- We respect your time; everything we publish earns your attention
