FAA allows Boeing to increase 737 Max production nearly two years after door plug flew off plane

The Federal Aviation Administration said Boeing can now produce 42 Max jets per month, up from 38, after safety inspectors conducted extensive reviews of the airline’s manufacturing lines to ensure production can be ramped up safely.

The agency had placed a production cap shortly after the horrific January 2024 accident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX. But in practice, production fell well below the ceiling last year, as the company battled investigations and a machinery workers’ strike that idled plants for about eight weeks. But Boeing said over the summer that it had reached the monthly cap in the second quarter and would eventually seek FAA permission to start producing more planes.

A Boeing spokesman said Friday that the company followed a “disciplined process” to ensure it was prepared to safely ramp up production, using safety guidelines and performance goals it established with the FAA.

“We appreciate the work our teams, suppliers and the FAA have done to ensure we are prepared to ramp up production while putting safety and quality at the forefront,” Boeing said in a statement.

The FAA also said Friday that this would not change the way it oversees Boeing’s production operations and its efforts to strengthen the company’s safety culture, adding that FAA inspectors at Boeing plants have continued to work during the federal government shutdown that began on October 1.

Just last month, the FAA also restored Boeing’s ability to perform final safety inspections on the 737 MAX and certify them for flight. Boeing was not allowed to do so for more than six years, after two crashes of the then-new model killed 346 people. The FAA took full control of approvals for the 737 MAX in 2019, after a second crash that was later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the plane.

Earlier this year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg faced questions from a Senate committee about the production rate of the 737 MAX, as lawmakers sought reassurances from Ortberg that the company was prioritizing quality and safety over meeting production goals for profit.

“To be very clear, we will not increase production if performance does not indicate a stable production system,” Ortberg said at the April hearing. “We will continue to work to achieve a stable system.”

The incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight that led to a production cap on the Max jets was among a series of alleged safety violations by Boeing between September 2023 and February 2024 that led to the FAA seeking $3.1 million in fines from the company.