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Boeing plans to raise monthly 737 aircraft production to 47
Katherine Ringgold, vice president of the Boeing 737 programme said 2026 would mark a shift for the programme
US aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, said it is preparing to increase its 737 aircraft production to 47 in the coming months.
Speaking at a media interaction in the B737 facility in Renton, Katherine Ringgold, vice president of the Boeing 737 programme, said, “When we slowed everything down to implement some changes, we kept our supply chain ‘hot’.”
She said suppliers were asked to continue producing at a rate of about 38 aircraft a month, which resulted in higher inventory levels.
“.. we told our suppliers to go ahead and produce at rate 38, which meant that we had a lot of inventory and we still have quite a bit of inventory,” Ringgold said, adding that Boeing is positioned at a production rate of about 42 aircraft a month.
“All of our suppliers are now producing at rate 42,” she said and added that some suppliers will begin moving from 42 to 47 aircraft a month in the coming months.
“Some of them will start breaking from 42 to 47 within the next few months,” she said, stressing that this was intentional, particularly for parts that need to be shipped across long distances.
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On aircraft deliveries, Ringgold said 2026 would mark a shift for the 737 programme.
“For the first time in almost six years, we are now purely the production system being delivered,” she said and described 2025 as a period focused on stability and implementing changes, while pointing to growth ahead.
“2026 will be a year of growth,” Ringgold said.
As part of that expansion, Boeing said that it plans to start its fourth 737 final assembly line, known as the North Line, around the middle of next year.
“The most important thing is the people,” she said, adding that hiring and training will determine when production begins.
On aircraft demand, Ringgold said Boeing’s backlog for the 737 programme stands just short of 6,000 aircraft. “We’re essentially sold out through the rest of the decade,” she said, adding that Boeing is not quoting deliveries for new orders before 2030.
Ringgold said Boeing is also working to reduce supply chain risk by diversifying sourcing. India is part of that strategy, she said.
“Our vertical fin (part of an aircraft tail) is not only made in India, it’s made in three different locations,” Ringgold said, adding that the work is split among suppliers and is not always evenly distributed.
She however declined to give a precise figure for how many aircraft parts are sourced from India.
“It’s tough to get an exact number because it’s not just direct, there’s a lot of tier two and tier three suppliers that are in India as well,” she said.
Hindustan Times was visiting the Boeing headquarters in Seattle at the company’s invitation.
