Boeing opens new 737 MAX line
Boeing confirmed it will open a new 737 MAX production line in Everett in summer 2026 capable of building MAX 8, MAX 9 and MAX 10 variants. Bringing a full‑variant line online increases integration and tooling demands and creates a test of whether production scale can be raised without introducing variability in processes and configuration control. (centreforaviation.com)
Boeing says it will open a new 737 Max assembly line in Everett, Washington, this summer, adding a fourth line for its best-selling jet. (boeing.com) The Everett line, called the North Line, will be the first time Boeing has built 737s in Everett instead of Renton. Boeing said it will be able to assemble all 737 Max models there and will start with the 737-8, 737-9 and 737-10. (boeing.com) Boeing has three existing 737 lines in Renton, about 45 miles south of Everett, and the new line will use the same basic build process. One added step is a new wing transport system that will move partially completed wings to Everett for final assembly. (boeing.com) The new line comes as Boeing tries to raise 737 output beyond 47 jets a month after years of delivery delays and factory disruptions. FlightGlobal reported the Everett line occupies space that once housed 787 production before Boeing consolidated that program in South Carolina in 2021. (flightglobal.com) Federal regulators are still treating 737 production as a safety issue, not just an industrial one. The Federal Aviation Administration capped Boeing at 38 Max jets a month in January 2024 after the Alaska Airlines door-plug blowout, then raised that limit to 42 a month in October 2025. (cnbc.com) The National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing workers removed the door plug on the Alaska Airlines 737-9 during factory work and the airplane left the plant without the bolts needed to secure it. That January 5, 2024 accident triggered the production cap and a broader review of Boeing’s manufacturing controls. (ntsb.gov) Everett also adds another layer of complexity because Boeing says the line will be able to build multiple Max variants, including the 737-10. The 737-10 is the largest version of the family and is still in certification, so Boeing is preparing a line for an aircraft it cannot yet deliver. (boeing.com) (flightglobal.com) Boeing has already tied part of its 2026 sales push to that model. In January, Aviation Capital Group ordered 50 more 737 Max jets, including 25 of the 737-10, in Boeing’s biggest 737-10 order from a lessor. (boeing.com) For Boeing, the Everett opening is not just about floor space. It is a test of whether the company can add workers, tools and a second 737 site while keeping the kind of configuration control that regulators and airline customers have been demanding since 2024. (boeing.com) (ntsb.gov)
