By Dan Catchpole and Shivansh Tiwary
May 27 (Reuters) – Boeing is increasing 737 production to 47 jets a month, up from 42, after consulting with the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Wednesday.
“We’re off and rolling at the 47 rate, and we should be there in the next couple months,” Ortberg said at the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference.
The company aims to move to 52 jets a month early next year, after Boeing opens a fourth 737 production line in Everett, Washington.
“I think the whole world’s watching to make sure we make (rate) 47 and 52,” Ortberg said.
A midair panel blowout on a nearly new 737 MAX in January 2024 revealed significant production quality problems at the U.S. planemaker and brought intense scrutiny from customers and the FAA, which capped 737 output at 38 a month. It removed the cap in October.
(Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle and Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru.; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
