After ending 747 production after more than five decades of manufacturing, Boeing will install a fourth 737 MAX assembly line at its plant in Everett, Washington. The American manufacturer made the announcement internally on Monday morning, Dominic Gates reported for The Seattle Times.
It would be the first expansion at the factory since the advanced composite materials centre for 777X wing production opened in 2016.
The new facility would begin operations in the second half of 2024. In this way, Boeing will expand production capacity for its newest narrow-body type. Despite the difficulties encountered with the 737 MAX, the company is currently maintaining good sales prospects and expects to increase deliveries in the coming months.
According to a Reuters publication, Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in an email reviewed by the news agency that the fourth assembly line is necessary due to «strong product demand». The manufacturer received nearly 700 orders for 737 MAX aircraft in 2022 and has an order backlog of nearly 3.600 airplanes.
In recent years, and mainly due to a general trend in the industry, demand for narrow-body aircraft has declined, despite experiencing partial recoveries. Boeing yesterday delivered the last 747 ever built, concluding production of one of the most iconic aircraft in the history of commercial aviation.
From Renton to Everett
Deal told employees that the new 737 MAX assembly line will be set up where the 787 Dreamliner assembly hall used to operate. The manufacturing of the wide-body type concentrated from early 2021 at Boeing’s North Charleston plant, in South Carolina.
«In addition to preparing the facility, we have begun the process of notifying and preparing our suppliers, customers, unions and employees as we take the necessary steps to create a new line», Deal said.
Currently, production of narrow-bodies is carried out at the manufacturer’s Renton plant. As a result, Boeing will need to replicate the infrastructure and other resources needed to assemble the 737 MAX in Everett.
Yesterday, the company reported that it had stabilised production of its latest single-aisle development at 31 units per month. However, it plans to increase the pace of production to around half a hundred aircraft per month during 2025 and 2026, demonstrating its intention to compete with Airbus A320 family.
