In order to boost the company’s positive cash flow, Boeing intends to expand the 737 MAX’s monthly manufacturing rate from 31 to 38 by mid-2023.
By mid-2023, the 737 MAX is expected to be produced at a 38-monthly rate, according to Bloomberg reports citing sources with knowledge of the situation. The OEM has been informing its clients of the rising manufacturing rate.
The OEM produced 52 of the type each month prior to the 737 MAX groundings in the US, which occurred between March 2019 and November 2020. Stan Deal, the Executive Vice President of Boeing and the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), also stated in March 2023 that manufacturing rates for the 737 MAX would be ramping up “very soon.” For the first time since 2018, Boeing was able to generate a positive cash flow in 2022, with an operating cash flow of $3.5 billion for the entire year. $15.3 billion was the amount in 2018.
The return of services with the 737 MAX aircraft type in China, where China Southern Airlines started commercial operations with the narrow-body jet in January 2023, provided a significant boost to the 737 MAX program. Nine airlines already fly the type in the nation, according to data from ch-aviation.com, and other airlines have also added the 737 MAX to their fleets.
Boeing’s ability to produce more airplanes is being hampered by the fact that the 737 MAX-7 and MAX-10 still lack flight certification. The 737 MAX-7 should receive certification in 2023, according to Stan Deal.
Boeing shipped a total of 374 737 MAX aircraft in 2022 as opposed to 241 in 2021.
