Boeing wins FAA approval to increase 737 MAX production

Boeing won approval on Friday to raise its 737 MAX production to 42 planes per month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, easing a 38-plane cap in place since January last year and boosting its efforts to shore up its finances and move past concerns over safety and quality.

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The FAA imposed the unprecedented production cap shortly after a 2024 midair emergency involving a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 that was missing four key bolts in a door plug, causing a gaping hole to open in the fuselage at 16,000 feet (4,900 m). The incident revealed widespread production safety and quality lapses at Boeing.

Increasing deliveries of the popular single-aisle airplane is critical to restoring Boeing’s financial stability, following years of production disruptions and crises that have left it deep in debt and losing money. Planemakers receive the bulk of a customer's payment when they hand over an airplane.

The FAA said on Friday its safety inspectors “conducted extensive reviews of Boeing’s production lines to ensure that this small production rate increase will be done safely.”

BOEING PLANS TO BEGIN BOOSTING PRODUCTION QUICKLY