Boeing has announced it will commence assembly on Wednesday of the first 737 to be built at the new production rate of 42 aircraft per month.
The move comes at a time where the manufacturer is trying to clear a large backlog of 737NGs and prepare for the introduction of the 737MAX from 2017. The new rate is an increase of 33 per cent over that of 31.5 per month which Boeing was building in 2010, and is a step in the ramp up process that will eventually see the best-selling airliner being built at 47 per month by 2017.
“This rate increase once again reflects our commitment to put the world’s best-selling airplane into the hands of our customers as quickly as possible,” Beverly Wyse, Boeing’s VP and GM 737 Program said in a statement. “Efficiency improvements in the factory, many of them developed by our employees, are a big part of why we are able to successfully increase the number of airplanes we build.”
