Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX series is said to begin the new year with a strong start. The Federal Aviation Administration gave approval for the American planemaker to increase from 38 deliveries per month to 42 this year. The firm is now aiming for 47 in the next few months, with the goal to achieve 53 off the line every month by the end of the year.

The Hindustan Times reported these ambitions, which come as the FAA continues to uphold a strict on-site monitoring presence. Inspectors scrutinize the assembly line at the Renton, Washington, plant with inspections of every aircraft that rolls off the line before it is certified for delivery.

Ready To Roll Out Into 2026

In 2025, the FAA gave approval to raise the monthly quota cap from 38 to 42 aircraft. Boeingcontinued to have issues with supply chain and production capacity, meaning that it did not achieve the maximum potential number of 737 MAX deliveries every month, even with the reduced restrictions. That is expected to change going into 2026. The company completed a merger with Spirit Aerosystems, which fabricates roughly 70% of the parts used to construct 737 aerostructures and components.

This process brings greater control over quality assurance from the “nose to the tail.” It should allow Boeing to better manage production flow. Boeing also anticipates receiving certification for the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 variants in 2026, though initial MAX 10 deliveries may lag behind production as certification is expected late in the year. Boeing’s Executive VP of Finance & CFO, Jay Malave, was quoted by AeroTime as saying:

“When you now fast forward to 2026, we’re going to be increasing our deliveries, but there won’t be hardly any aircraft, if any at all, that will be coming out of inventory.”

The Last Stored Jet Has Now Left Moses Lake

Boeing reached a major milestone at its Moses Lake operation (located at Grant County International Airport) by officially closing its ‘shadow factory’ for the 737 MAX. In August 2025, Boeing flew the last of its 250 previously stored 737 MAX 8 jets out of Moses Lake. This concluded a six-year effort to maintain and rework approximately 450 aircraft that were grounded globally in 2019.

Boeing has shut down the shadow factory, which was a large-scale maintenance and rework operation that at its peak employed nearly 1,000 people to keep stored jets flight-ready. While the storage crisis has ended, the site remains a permanent part of Boeing’s operations. It now serves as a primary site for flight tests and preparations for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 as well as the next-generation 777X widebody jet, which uses the site’s massive hangars (originally built for B-52 bombers).

By clearing the Moses Lake inventory, Boeing has removed a major expense and financial drain. This allows the company to reallocate experienced mechanics back to the main production lines in Renton and Everett to support the planned 2026 production ramp-up to 47 and eventually 53 jets per month.

The 737 MAX Struggle

Boeing has overseen a massive overhaul of its entire manufacturing process related to the 737 MAX family. This stemmed from the tragic fatal accidents of Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 which caused the deaths of nearly 350 people led to the longest and most widespread grounding of any commercial aircraft. In 2024, the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 door plug blowout led to further degradation of the jetliner’s slowly recovering reputation.

Also in 2025, Airbus overtook the Boeing 737 with the A320 family, claiming the title of the best-selling commercial aircraft in history. This opportunity was made possible by the low output from the American company. As Boeing is now ready to resume normal rate production, the backlog of orders has grown to epic proportions. If the legendary manufacturing giant regains its former glory, it may well be able to take back the prestigious honor of maker of the world’s most popular airliner.