Stan Deal, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in an email seen by Reuters that the new line would be the fourth production of the 737 MAX, and that it was needed because of “strong product demand.”
Boeing told employees on Monday that it will add a new production line for the 737 Max model in Everett, Washington, in mid-2024, as it plans to increase shipments of its best-selling jet.
Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in an email seen by Reuters that the new line will be the fourth production of the 737 MAX, and that it is needed due to “strong demand for the product.” Activation of its third line of the 737 MAX in Renton, Washington.
Boeing placed orders for about 700 Max planes last year, delivered 387 of the 737 Max, and has a total backlog of 3,600 Max aircraft.
“In addition to preparing the facility, we have begun the process of notifying and preparing our suppliers, customers, unions and employees as we take steps to construct a new line,” Dale said.
Boeing announced this month that it has stabilized production of the 737 Max at 31 per month, with plans to increase production to approximately 50 per month in the 2025-2026 timeframe.
Dell cited a decision by the US Congress in December to exempt two new versions of the 737 MAX from a deadline for a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts.
The company had struggled for months to persuade lawmakers to exempt the Max 7 and Max 10 from the deadline imposed by Congress in 2020 after 346 were killed in the crashes of the 737 Max planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing said the fate of the two new planes was in jeopardy if Congress did not act.
