Boeing To Increase 737 Production Rate To 52/Month In 2018 - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Boeing Co. (BA) announced Thursday that it will increase production on the 737 program to 52 airplanes per month in 2018 in response to strong market demand from customers worldwide. Once the increase is implemented, the 737 program is expected to build more than 620 airplanes per year.

However, the production rate increase is not expected to have a significant impact on 2014 financial results, the company said.

Boeing noted that it currently produces 42 airplanes per month at its Renton, Wash., factory, and the company previously announced plans to increase the production rate to 47 airplanes per month in 2017.

The 2014 Current Market Outlook, Boeing's long-term forecast of air traffic volumes and commercial airplane demand, projects a need for more than 25,000 single-aisle airplanes over the next 20 years, worth $2.56 trillion total market value.

Boeing said its highly efficient and reliable 737 family is the proven market leader. To date, 266 customers worldwide have placed more than 12,100 orders for the single-aisle airplane - including more than 6,800 orders for the Next-Generation 737 and more than 2,200 orders for the 737 MAX. Boeing currently has more than 4,000 unfilled orders across the 737 family.