FAA Clears Boeing to Boost 737 Max Production After Safety Review

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday approved Boeing’s request to increase production of its 737 Max aircraft, easing a cap imposed after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines jet earlier this year.

The FAA said Boeing can now produce up to 42 Max jets per month, up from the previous limit of 38, following comprehensive inspections of the company’s manufacturing facilities to ensure a safe ramp-up in output.

The production cap was introduced after the January 2024 incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 Max, which reignited scrutiny of Boeing’s safety practices. In the months that followed, the company faced investigations and an eight-week machinists’ strike that kept output well below the limit. Boeing said it reached the previous cap in the second quarter of 2025 and had been preparing to seek FAA approval for an increase.

A Boeing spokesperson said the manufacturer took a “disciplined approach” to the expansion, adhering to safety standards and performance benchmarks set jointly with the FAA.

“We appreciate the work by our team, our suppliers, and the FAA to ensure we are prepared to increase production with safety and quality at the forefront,” the company said in a statement.

The FAA emphasized that the decision does not change its oversight of Boeing’s operations or its efforts to strengthen the company’s safety culture. Inspectors have continued working at Boeing plants even through the federal government shutdown that began on October 1.

Last month, the FAA also restored Boeing’s authority to conduct final safety inspections and certify new 737 Max jets for flight—a privilege suspended for more than six years after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people and were linked to the aircraft’s flight-control software.

Earlier this year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told a Senate committee that production would not be increased unless the system proved stable.

“We won’t ramp up production if the performance isn’t indicating a stable production system,” Ortberg said during the April hearing.

The Alaska Airlines incident that triggered the production limits was one of several alleged safety violations between September 2023 and February 2024, for which the FAA has proposed $3.1 million in fines against Boeing.