There are encouraging signs from Boeing that it will soon steady 737 MAX production at 38 aircraft a month, a long-term ambition of the planemaker.
According to Reuters, Commercial Airplanes Vice President of Quality Doug Ackerman told journalists on May 20, 2025, that Boeing expects to stabilize production at that level over the next couple of months.
Reuters reported that sources told the news agency that Boeing is on target to produce around 38 737 jets by the end of this month.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) capped Boeing 737 production at 38 planes a month after a door plug separated from an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 shortly after takeoff on January 5, 2024.
Following the incident the FAA also put more of its inspectors on Boeing’s factory floors, conducted an in-depth audit of the production line and required the planemaker to develop a comprehensive plan to fix its production quality problems.
On April 23, 2025, the CEO of Boeing Kelly Ortberg acknowledged the difficulties of the past but suggested that things were now moving in the right direction.
“We continue to execute our plan, are seeing early positive results and remain committed to making the fundamental changes needed to fully recover the company’s performance while navigating the current environment,” Ortberg said.
On May 21, 2025, Boeing published its annual Chief Aerospace Safety Officer Report indicating that the company had seen a 220% increase in total reports made through the Speak Up tool from 2023 to 2024.
Commenting on the report, Julie Brightwell, 737 Chief Project Engineer, said: “We’ve received a large increase in Speak Up submittals recently, and we encourage that. It means our teammates are more comfortable raising issues, and it helps Boeing become a more transparent workplace.”
