The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it will allow Boeing to produce more 737 Max airplanes by increasing the monthly limit imposed after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines jet the company built.
Boeing can now produce 42 Max jets per month, up from 38, after safety inspectors conducted extensive reviews of the aerospace company’s manufacturing lines to ensure an increase in production can be done safely, the FAA said.
The agency had set a cap on production shortly after the terrifying January 2024 incident involving the Alaska Airlines 737 Max jet. In practice, though, the production rate fell well below the ceiling last year as the company contended with investigations and a machinists’ strike that idled factories for almost eight weeks. But Boeing said over the summer that it had reached the monthly cap in the second quarter and would eventually seek the FAA’s permission to start producing more planes.
A spokesperson for Boeing said Friday the company followed a “disciplined process” to make sure it was ready to safely increase production, using safety guidelines and performance goals it set with the FAA.
“We appreciate the work by our team, our suppliers and the FAA to ensure we are prepared to increase production with safety and quality at the forefront,” Boeing said in a statement.
The FAA also said Friday this won’t change the way it oversees Boeing production processes and its efforts to strengthen the company’s safety culture, adding that FAA inspectors at Boeing plants have continued to work through the federal government shutdown that began October 1.
Just last month, the FAA also restored Boeing’s ability to perform final safety inspections on 737 Max jetliners and certify them for flight. Boeing hadn’t been allowed to do that for more than six years, after two crashes of the then-new model killed 346 people. The FAA took full control over 737 Max approvals in 2019, after the second of the two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft.
Earlier this year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg faced questions from a Senate committee about the production rate of the 737 Max, with lawmakers seeking reassurance from Ortberg that the company was prioritizing quality and safety over meeting production targets for profit.
“Just to be very clear, we won’t ramp up production if the performance isn’t indicating a stable production system,” Ortberg said at the April hearing. “We will continue to work on getting to a stable system.”
The incident involving the Alaska Airlines flight that prompted the production cap on Max jets was among a series of alleged safety violations by Boeing between September 2023 and February 2024 that led to the FAA seeking $3.1 million in fines from the company.
The production increase from 38 to 42 jets monthly represents approximately a 10.5% capacity boost, significant for Boeing’s financial recovery but modest compared to pre-crisis production levels when the company aimed for 57 jets per month before the Alaska Airlines door plug incident.
The FAA’s continued oversight despite restoring Boeing’s self-inspection authority reflects lingering concerns about the company’s safety culture and quality control processes. The dual approach, allowing Boeing more autonomy while maintaining heightened scrutiny, attempts to balance production needs with safety imperatives.
Boeing’s achievement of the 38-jet monthly cap in the second quarter demonstrates recovery from the machinists’ strike that disrupted production for nearly two months, though the company still operates below historical production peaks that preceded its quality control crises.
The restoration of Boeing’s self-certification authority last month marked a significant milestone in rebuilding trust with regulators, though the six-year gap without that authority underscores the severity of the 737 Max crashes and their impact on Boeing’s regulatory standing.
The $3.1 million in FAA fines represents relatively modest financial penalties for a company of Boeing’s size, though the reputational damage and production restrictions have cost the company billions in lost revenue and remediation expenses.
Washington state’s economy depends heavily on Boeing’s production levels, with the aerospace giant employing tens of thousands directly and supporting a vast supplier network throughout the Puget Sound region. Production increases translate to economic benefits for local communities but also heighten pressure on Boeing to maintain quality.
