Boeing (NYSE:BA) has sped up deliveries of 737 Max aircraft to Ryanair (RYAAY) and is preparing to boost monthly production later this fall, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing the Irish carrier’s chief executive.
Ryanair (RYAAY) CEO Michael O’Leary said in London that the airline expects to take delivery of 25 aircraft between August and October, several months earlier than initially scheduled. He added that Boeing executives have indicated plans to raise 737 output to 42 jets a month by October, once regulatory approval is granted.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) told the carrier that it will apply to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in September, with the goal of physically increasing the rate in October, O’Leary said.
The comments offer insight into Boeing’s (BA) near-term strategy as it works to convince U.S. regulators to lift a cap on production imposed in early 2024. That limit, set at 38 aircraft a month, followed the midair panel failure on an Alaska Airlines flight that drew fresh scrutiny of Boeing’s (BA) quality systems.
O’Leary praised improvements at the company under CEO Kelly Ortberg, noting that jets are leaving Boeing’s (BA) Seattle-area factories faster and with fewer defects.
“They’re really on top of quality control and have made remarkable progress over the past year,” he said in a Bloomberg TV interview, urging the FAA to allow higher output.
The FAA confirmed earlier this month that discussions with Boeing (BA) are ongoing but gave no timeline for approving a rate increase.
Boeing (BA) already raised production of another key aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, to seven a month following a similar FAA review earlier this summer.