Boeing’s CEO has stated that the planemaker is set to increase the monthly production rate of its 737 MAX family of narrowbodied aircraft. The company’s current production rate of 38 units per month has been pegged at that level by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) following the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plug door blowout in January 2024. The incident led to a swathe of criticism and an increase in oversight by the safety authorities after serious safety failings came to light across Boeing’s production lines.

As reported by Reuters, Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg stated on May 29, 2025, that he remained “pretty confident” that the company could increase production of its best-selling 737 MAX jets to 42 a month. In a speech given at a conference in the US, Ortberg added that Boeing was continuing to work with US regulators towards establishing a production rate of 47 new 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft by the end of 2025.

Boeing’s current strategy has been to stabilize the 737 MAX production rate at 38 units per month, which Ortberg said was a priority before any increase could be considered. The company is hoping that once the FAA has granted its permission for the rate to increase to an intermediate 42 planes per month, the parties will be able to agree on a stepping up of the rate to the current target of 47 units per month and beyond.

“We do have subsequent rate increases in our plan, which will typically be in increments of five aircraft a month and at least six months apart,” Ortberg said. An increase in the production rate of the 737 MAX family, which includes the 737 MAX 8, as well as the smaller 737 MAX 7 and the larger 737 MAX 10, is seen as vital, as it would present a twofold benefit to Boeing.

Firstly, with an order backlog of hundreds of new MAX aircraft, Boeing needs to increase the production rate to keep customers on side and avoid the payment of late delivery penalties to those airlines. Secondly, an increase in production is critical in getting Boeing back to a cash-positive position, which Ortberg is hoping will happen by the middle of 2025. Reuters reported that Boeing spent $2.3 billion of its cash reserves in the first quarter of 2025 alone – losses which many analysts believe are unsustainable and would cause major damage to the company should they continue at such a high level.

“I think the financial performance will follow the production performance, and I think we need to think about it that way,” Ortberg added.

Addressing the legacy of quality failings on the MAX production lines of the past, Ortberg commented that production defects on the 737 MAX program are down by 30%, adding that, “virtually every one of our customers is reporting a higher quality of airplane at delivery.”

What about the MAX 7 and MAX 10?

While the production increases being proposed largely apply to the 737 MAX 8, which was originally certified in 2017, they would also apply to the smaller and larger variants, which currently remain uncertified. Boeing put these programs on the slow track hold while it addressed the 737 production line woes. However, with the certification programs now back underway in conjunction with the FAA, Boeing hopes to expedite the entry into service of these two new models so that the outstanding orders can be fulfilled.

Boeing’s order backlog includes nearly 1,200 orders for the 737 MAX 10 and 332 orders for the MAX 7. The certification programs were also delayed by an issue with an engine de-icing system. However, with a fix for the issue already being tested, Boeing is hoping that this process will be completed by July 2025, allowing for both variants to be certified by the FAA by the end of 2025.

Elsewhere in the company, Boeing is reportedly in the process of increasing production of its 787 widebodied airplane from the current five aircraft per month to seven, an increase that has already received approval by the FAA, according to Reuters. Ortgerg added in his speech at the conference that the company intends to increase this further to ten aircraft per month, again to address the extensive order backlog for the type.   

A better week for Boeing

The news of a possible production rate increase for the 737 MAX comes just days after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on May 23, 2025, that it had reached an agreement with Boeing for the planemaker to avoid criminal prosecution relating to two fatal crashes involving its 737 MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019. Under the non-prosecution agreement (NPA), Boeing admitted to conspiring to obstruct and impede the lawful operation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Aircraft Evaluation Group.

The agreement reached requires Boeing to pay or invest over $1.1 billion, including a criminal monetary penalty of $487.2 million, the statutory maximum fine, partially offset by a previously paid $243.6 million penalty from a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement (DPA).

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