(Reuters) -Boeing slowed production of 737 MAX airplanes to 31 per month from 38 due to delays related to fitting wing systems, the Air Current reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the progress of the planemaker’s factory in Renton, Washington.
The factory had briefly reached a production rate of 38 planes in February but pulled back to 31 after unfinished assembly tasks in wing systems installation spiked sharply, according to the report on the aviation news website.
The issue persisted through March and Boeing was further slowing some earlier parts of its wing production to catch up with the delays, the report said.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside its regular business hours.
The U.S. planemaker is working to grow production of its 737 MAX jet to at least 38 a month this year after drastically curbing output in 2024 following quality concerns after a mid-air panel blowout on a near-new model.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, who is briefed regularly on the progress of jets on order by one of Boeing’s top customers, told Reuters last week that Boeing had produced 32 737 MAX planes in March and would reach a rate of 38 a month by the end of April.
(Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Savio D’Souza)
