Boeing has returned to a seven aircraft per month production rate for its 777 airliner, the fourth time the widebody has been built at a seven-per-month rate.
A 777F bound for Fedex (pictured) rolled out on May 16 was the first built at the new rate.
“This rate increase reflects the strong demand for the 777,” Boeing 777 vice president and general manager, Larry Loftis said. “It continues to be the clear leader in the 300-400 passenger seat market.”
Boeing has previously build the 777 at a seven per month rate from July 1997 to February 1998, August 1998 to October 1999, and from November 2006 to May 2010.
“We incorporated lessons learned from previous rate increases to ensure we’d have the smoothest transition. Fortunately, we entered the rate break when the program is very healthy, and we are experiencing some of the all-time-best metrics,” Loftis added.
With the production rate increase, Boeing has reduced the build time on the each 777 from 52 to 49 days, due to increased productivity across a number of key components, including the wing spar, service-ready wing and final body join areas.
