The head of Boeing’s commercial arm has confirmed that the company plans to ramp up production of the 737 MAX ‘very soon’.
According to Reuters, the Boeing executive announced on Thursday, March 20, 2023, that the production rate would shortly exceed the current rate of 31 jets per month.
Deal also reportedly provided positive news on the 737 MAX 7, which still requires certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“We’ve got a handful – less than a handful – left to go to the FAA,” Deal said. “We’re working a few issues around those submittals. I want them to be perfect, I want the FAA to feel comfortable, and then give them the time to go review.”
Boeing has recently reconfirmed that it expects the MAX 7 to be certified and dispatched this year.
The financial markets have responded positively to the news from Boeing.
By the end of 2026, Boeing hopes to increase production of MAX aircraft to 50 planes a month, according to Reuters.
Earlier in March 2023, Bob Jordan, the Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said he was not “counting on the MAX 7 to be in service here in 2023”.
Speaking with journalists at an Aero Club event in Washington on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, Jordan said: “We’re dependent on Boeing. And there’s progress. It’s about six months between when it’s certified and [when] we can put it into service.”
Southwest Airlines is currently awaiting numerous deliveries from Boeing, including 271 MAX 7s.
“Boeing is committed to 100 this year, so that’s going to push aircraft into 2024. The good thing is, it’s really not having an impact on our capacity because right now the constraint is pilots,” Jordan said. “The constraint is not aircraft. So until you get to early 2024, it really doesn’t change our capacity plan.”