FAA says no decision has been made on lifting Boeing 737 MAX production cap
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated that no decisions have been made about removing the 38 aircraft per month production cap on Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX family aircraft, which has been in place since early 2024.
“Progress is being made,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters on September 8, 2025, as reported by Reuters. “It may not be as fast perhaps as Boeing would like but it is as fast as we can reasonably move through the process.”
Bedford said he was encouraged with Boeing’s improvements but is waiting for data to answer key questions on how to monitor the planemaker’s production.
“This is going to be a bottom-up process – front-line FAA team that’s really on them to make the recommendation of whether they feel like we’ve reached some of the milestones that would warrant any kind of change,” Bedford said. “None of those recommendations have come up yet. That tells me the work is still ongoing.”
In August 2025, the FAA revealed plans to conduct scenario-based tabletop exercises with Boeing to assess risk factors before deciding on lifting the current cap. Back then, Bedford noted that these exercises are still being developed, and completion is expected by the end of September 2025.
Earlier in 2025, the FAA announced the renewal of Boeing’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) for three years, which permits the company to conduct certain inspections and certify work on the agency’s behalf.
On May 29, 2025, Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg stated that the company remained “pretty confident” about increasing the production of its 737 MAX jets from 38 to 42 per month by the end of 2025.
Moreover, Boeing is optimistic that once the FAA permits the production rate to rise to 42 aircraft per month, the manufacturer can eventually negotiate to achieve the target of 47 units per month and beyond.
Production limits on Boeing’s 737 MAX family aircraft were set following an incident on January 5, 2024, when a door plug separated from an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 shortly after takeoff. Since then, Boeing has come under close scrutiny, with the FAA requiring the company to develop a comprehensive plan to fix its production quality problems. The post FAA says no decision has been made on lifting Boeing 737 MAX production cap appeared first on AeroTime.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated that no decisions have been made about removing the 38 aircraft…
The post FAA says no decision has been made on lifting Boeing 737 MAX production cap appeared first on AeroTime.
