The aerospace giant Boeing is examining whether it can push production of its popular 737 MAX aircraft to an unprecedented 70 units per month, company CEO Kelly Ortberg revealed during a Friday interview with CNBC.
“We’ll look at that to understand where our constraints are, what the resilience is of the supply chain, but that’s a study activity right now,” Ortberg said.
The aircraft manufacturer is currently in the process of boosting monthly production from 42 to 47 planes, while working toward its established target of 63 aircraft per month.
According to The Air Current trade publication’s Thursday report, Boeing is developing plans and evaluating whether its network of suppliers could handle the increased demand for the single-aisle aircraft at 70 units monthly.
Ramping up 737 MAX manufacturing is essential for Boeing’s path to financial stability following losses exceeding $30 billion in recent years and accumulating record-high debt levels.
The company has carefully increased production since resuming 737 manufacturing in December 2024. Following a door panel failure on a nearly new 737 MAX that exposed significant quality control and safety issues, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration imposed a production ceiling of 38 aircraft monthly. This restriction was removed in October 2025.
“We’ve made sure that we’re not moving (the rate up) until the production system is stable,” Ortberg said.
Following discussions with the FAA, Boeing announced in May its intention to increase monthly production to 47 units during the mid-summer period.
Ortberg informed CNBC that the company plans to begin work on the first aircraft at its new 737 manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington, on July 6.
This new production line plays a crucial role in the company’s strategy to advance 737 manufacturing to the subsequent phase of 52 aircraft monthly, according to Ortberg.
During an April first-quarter earnings call, Ortberg noted that suppliers will need to expand their capacity to accommodate Boeing’s increased manufacturing goals.
Meanwhile, European competitor Airbus has maintained its objective of producing 75 A320neo-family aircraft monthly but has repeatedly postponed this target due to supply chain limitations. The company anticipates reaching 70 to 75 units per month by late 2027, with intentions to maintain steady production at 75 units afterward.
