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A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft lands during an evaluation flight in Seattle

A Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft piloted by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Chief Steve Dickson lands during an evaluation flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. September 30, 2020. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson//File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

  • Summary

  • Companies

  • Boeing's goal remains 63 MAX jets per month

  • Rival Airbus aiming to make 75 A320neo jets per month

SEATTLE, June 5 (Reuters) - As Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab increases production of its best-selling 737 ​MAX from 42 to 47 jets a month, the U.S. planemaker is ‌looking at how it can climb to 70 a month, its highest ever, CEO Kelly Ortberg told CNBC on Friday.

"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.

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The ​planemaker's stated goal is to raise production to 63 jets a month.

The ⁠Air Current trade journal reported on Thursday that Boeing is drafting plans and assessing ​whether its suppliers could support raising production of the single-aisle jet to 70 per month.

Turning ​out more 737 MAX jets is critical to Boeing's financial recovery after losing more than $30 billion in recent years and taking on historically high levels of debt.

Boeing has methodically increased output since it restarted ​737 production in December 2024. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration capped production at 38 ​jets per month after a panel blew out of a nearly new 737 MAX, revealing widespread production ‌quality ⁠and safety problems. The cap was lifted in October 2025.

"We've made sure that we're not moving (the rate up) until the production system is stable," Ortberg said.

After consulting the FAA, the company said in May it is aiming to raise production to 47 per month in ​mid-summer.

Boeing plans to load ​the first plane ⁠on its new 737 production line in Everett, Washington, on July 6, Ortberg told CNBC.

The line is critical to the company's plans to ​take 737 production to the next stage of 52 jets a ​month, he ⁠said.

The supply chain will have to increase capacity to support Boeing's increased production, Ortberg said on a first-quarter earnings conference call in April.

European rival Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab has long aimed for monthly output ⁠of 75 ​A320neo-family jets, but repeatedly delayed the target due to ​supply-chain constraints. It expects to reach 70 to 75 jets per month by the end of 2027, with ​plans to stabilize production at 75 thereafter.

Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle Editing by Rod Nickel

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