An aerial view of the engine and fuselage of an unpressurized Boeing 737 Max airplane parked in storage at King County International Airport-Boeing Field on June 1, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.
Lindsey Wasson | reuters
boeing said it plans to add a fourth 737 Max production line in the second half of next year, as it aims to high output About its best-selling aircraft, an executive told employees on Monday.
The new line will be housed at Boeing’s massive Everett, Washington, factory, where it is working on some of its 787 Dreamliners and produces the 777 and 767. By December, it was also producing 747 Jumbo Jet There.
“This undertaking is important,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal said in a note to employees, which was seen by CNBC. “In addition to preparing the facility, we have begun the process of informing and preparing our suppliers, customers, unions and employees as we take the necessary steps to build a new line.”
Boeing has been eager to ramp up production of the 737 Max, but CEO Dave Calhoun has said the company is hesitant to rapidly increase production because of labor and supply chain tensions.
It is currently producing about 31 jets a month and last week said it was targeting a rate of 50 a month in the “2025/2026 time frame”. The manufacturer plans to hire around 10,000 workers this year, it said in a filing on Friday.
It has a backlog of more than 3,600 single-aisle aircraft, including carriers United Airlines, Delta Airlines And Southwest Airlines Waiting for the planes Boeing booked 700 orders for the new 737 Max planes last year.
Deal said Boeing still plans to operate three production lines at its Renton, Washington, 737 MAX factory. He pointed to demand for new models like the 737-10, the largest in the family, which still haven’t received regulatory approval.
Boeing plans to hand over last 747 to cargo carrier atlas air Tuesday afternoon.