Reviewing Boeing’s 737 Max Delivery Targets Due to Recent Manufacturing Issue

Boeing is in the process of re-evaluating its delivery projections for the 737 MAX aircraft due to the identification of a recent manufacturing concern. The company is currently investigating this issue and assessing whether it can maintain its earlier forecast of delivering between 400 to 450 Boeing 737 MAX planes in the year 2023. This projection was reaffirmed by Brian West, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance at Boeing, during the Q2 2023 results presentation in July.

On August 23, 2023, Spirit AeroSystems revealed a new manufacturing defect, which involved the aft bulkhead of the 737 fuselages. This key supplier for the Boeing 737 program, as well as the P-8 Poseidon, indicated that the impact is limited to a subset of units.

Concurrently, The Air Current reported instances of several 737 fuselages exhibiting numerous misaligned and duplicated holes on the same day.

Addressing the issue, Spirit AeroSystems stated, ‘We have implemented modifications to our manufacturing procedures to tackle this matter. Our team is closely collaborating with our customer to rectify the affected units within the production process and undertake any necessary corrections. At this juncture, considering the available information, we do not anticipate a significant impact on our annual delivery targets due to this matter.’

Spirit AeroSystems also shared that Boeing has assessed the situation and confirmed that there are no immediate safety concerns regarding flight operations. As a result, the active fleets of Boeing 737 MAX and P-8 Poseidon aircraft can continue their operations without interruption.

This marks the second manufacturing challenge disclosed by Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems in 2023. Previously, Spirit AeroSystems identified an issue related to the manufacturing process of the aft fuselage.

During the announcement of Boeing’s Q2 2023 results, the company provided an update on a prior manufacturing irregularity linked to the joining process of the aft fuselage and vertical tail. West reaffirmed the delivery goal of 400 to 450 aircraft and shared that the production is now transitioning to 38 aircraft per month, with plans to escalate to 50 per month within the timeframe of 2025-2026.