Boeing studies a higher 737 production ramp aimed at closing in on Airbus targets

Boeing is weighing a further step-up in 737 MAX production that, if achieved, would push the narrowbody planemaker closer to the manufacturing targets long sought by Airbus, according to reports citing Boeing leadership and industry discussions. The company has already been increasing output as it rebuilds a production system that was disrupted by quality and safety problems and subsequently tightened by regulator constraints.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said Boeing is studying how it could climb from a recently raised run rate to as high as 70 jets per month, which would be the highest production rate the 737 MAX program has ever attempted. Boeing is not committing to a specific timetable for that level, framing the work as an assessment of constraints and supply-chain resilience rather than a confirmed plan. The goal Ortberg has also discussed publicly is to reach 63 jets per month, with additional ambition tied to whether the supplier network can scale reliably.

The company’s immediate focus remains on stabilizing higher cadence. Boeing has been increasing 737 production from 42 jets per month and then to 47, after consultation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. In May, Ortberg said Boeing is “off and rolling” for the 47 rate and expected to be at that pace within months, after progress through a Boeing FAA capstone review. Boeing also plans operational milestones tied to a new production line in Everett, Washington, including loading the first airplane on July 6.

Looking beyond the 47 rate, Boeing has indicated an aim to move to 52 jets per month early next year, contingent on performance and the production system meeting the necessary standards. Reuters also reported that Airbus has long targeted around 75 jets per month for its A320neo-family aircraft, though that target has been delayed repeatedly due to supply constraints and is expected to stabilize later than originally planned.

Production rate ramp-ups matter because they are a central lever for Boeing’s financial recovery after years of crises. Reuters previously described the scale of Boeing’s losses across the turnaround period as more than $35 billion from 2019 through 2024, with operational disruption contributing to pressure on cash flow and debt. In that context, increasing 737 output is directly tied to meeting delivery expectations from airline customers and smoothing utilization across the company’s industrial network.

While Boeing’s commercial airplanes program drives the 737 ramp, the broader company has also been pursuing stabilization across its segments. In its first-quarter 2026 results, Boeing reported that its Defense, Space & Security segment had revenues of about $7.6 billion, underscoring that the company operates with multiple business engines as it tries to normalize performance across both aerospace manufacturing and government-related work.

Still, key details remain uncertain. Neither Boeing nor the reporting cited a confirmed decision on whether a move toward 70 jets per month will be adopted, and the higher-cadence studies described in the reports were characterized as early-stage. Boeing also has not publicly laid out which specific bottlenecks, such as parts availability, staffing, or factory throughput at particular suppliers, would be the limiting factor if the company were to pursue a higher rate beyond its stated near-term targets.