NEWTOWN, Conn. - Boeing is considering whether to increase 737 production to 42 aircraft per month. The manufacturer is already moving from a production rate of 31.5 aircraft per month to 38 per month by the second quarter of 2013, a 20 percent increase in the company's already high rate of production. CFM International, producer of the 737's CFM56-7 turbofans, would have to follow suit, while continuing development of the CFM56's replacement, the LEAP-X. The backlog for the 737 at the end of February was over 2,100 aircraft, and Boeing took in more than 500 orders for 737s in 2010. Jim Albaugh, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told an industry conference on March 15 that his company was now "taking a hard look" at whether an additional production increase is worthwhile. Source: Forecast International |
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