- Boeing’s new Everett line will support 737 MAX production at 52 aircraft a month and beyond.
- Boeing is expanding 737 production as it works through a backlog of more than 4,000 MAX aircraft.
- India has a large MAX delivery pipeline, with 186 aircraft scheduled for Akasa and 200 for Air India Express.
Boeing opened its new 737 North Line in Everett, Washington, on July 10, adding a fourth production line for the 737 MAX as Air India and Akasa Air continue with two of the largest MAX fleet programmes among Indian carriers.
The first 737 MAX to be assembled at Everett entered production on July 6. It is the first time in more than 50 years that the 737 is being produced outside Renton, Washington, where the programme has been based since 1970. Boeing has more than 4,000 MAX aircraft in its backlog, with existing orders taking current production into the 2030s.
India has emerged as an important market for the MAX, with Air India and Akasa Air placing firm orders for a combined 446 aircraft. Air India’s MAX commitment stands at 220 aircraft, while Akasa Air has ordered 226, with deliveries against both programmes already underway.
Air India’s original 2023 purchase agreement covered 190 737 MAX aircraft, including the 737-8 and 737-10. The airline added 20 737-8s and 10 737-10s in January this year, raising its firm MAX order to 220 aircraft. Air India Express already operates the 737-8, and Air India said in March that the subsidiary is to receive 200 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for its short- and medium-haul operations.
Akasa Air received its 40th aircraft, a 737 MAX 8-200, on July 3 and has 186 more MAX aircraft scheduled for delivery over the next six years.
Akasa has firm orders for 226 MAX aircraft and operates an all-MAX fleet, leaving its planned fleet growth closely tied to Boeing’s delivery schedule.
The North Line is intended to increase capacity and improve stability across 737 production.
Boeing expects Renton to stabilise at a monthly rate of 47 aircraft in the coming months, after which Everett will take on the additional builds required to reach 52 aircraft a month and move beyond that rate. Regulatory and compliance work, including low-rate initial production, is continuing before the new line supports the higher production rates.
Everett also provides more space for aircraft that require work beyond Boeing’s standard 10-day production flow. By spreading 737 production across four lines, Boeing expects to reduce the effect of disruption on any single line and accommodate aircraft with more complex interior requirements.
India’s connection with the 737 programme extends beyond airline orders. Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited’s Hyderabad facility manufactures vertical fin structures for the 737 family, with the first structure shipped to Boeing’s Renton facility in February 2023. Tata Advanced Systems also manufactures 737 MAX fan cowls, environmental control system door panels, forward access doors and main landing gear doors. Boeing’s wider Indian supply network includes more than 300 local companies, with annual sourcing from the country exceeding $1.25 billion.
Boeing’s production expansion comes weeks after Airbus opened its second modernised A320 Family final assembly line in Toulouse on June 15.
Airbus now operates 10 A320 Family assembly lines across Hamburg, Mobile, Tianjin and Toulouse and expects production to reach between 70 and 75 aircraft a month by the end of 2027 before stabilising at 75.
For Indian carriers, the timing of the new line is significant. Akasa still has 186 MAX aircraft scheduled for delivery over the next six years, while Air India is working through a 220-aircraft MAX commitment that includes 200 aircraft for Air India Express.
With Everett set to support production of 52 aircraft a month and beyond, the additional output could give both airlines greater certainty over aircraft inductions and the capacity they plan to add in the coming years.
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