Boeing Commercial Airplanes will start up a new 737 MAX assembly line by midsummer, according to remarks by the 737 program manager to a conference of Boeing suppliers. The fourth assembly line for Boeing’s top-selling aircraft is being established at Everett, Wash., where the manufacturer formerly assembled the 787 Dreamliner until that program was relocated to South Carolina.
The cost of the Everett expansion has not been reported.
Boeing recorded 577 new orders for 737 MAX series jets during 2025, and currently has back orders totaling 4,887.
The plan to expand 737 MAX assembly has been in development for several years as Boeing works to fill the extensive order backlog for the narrow-body aircraft. The pending certification of the 737 MAX 10 and 737 MAX 7 models will add to the complexity of program’s supply chain and assembly operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration last October approved Boeing to increase its 737 MAX production rate from 38 to 42 jets/month. The North Line will aid in that increase, though it will be an intermediate goal as Boeing ultimately aims to produce 63 73 MAX jets per month.
Some 737 MAX program suppliers indicate Boeing aims to achieve 47 jets per month in 2027.
Boeing also is raising output for the 787 program with a $1-billion expansion of the North Charleston, S.C., assembly complex.
Vice President and 737 program general manager Katie Ringgold alerted the suppliers to the conference to be ready “to support a year of growth” as Boeing increases production. Achieving a rate of 63 jets/month will take "a number of years," Ringgold noted.
