Boeing will increase its production on the 737 aircraft to 47 airplanes per month in 2017. This will be the highest rate ever for the airliner in history with more than 560 airplanes produced per year.
Pilots Brian Wygle and Lew Wallick flew the first Boeing 737-100 on 9 April 1967 from Boeing Field in Seattle for a 2 1/2 hour flight to Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The first 737-100 was delivered to Lufthansa on 28 December 1967, and began commercial service on 10 February 1968. The last 737-100 model was produced in 1969 and delivered in November the same year. The last 737-100 delivered was the first 737 Boeing produced. It had been used by Boeing as a test airplane before being delivered to NASA on 26 July 1973 as a testing and training aircraft. Boeing had delivered 30 737-100s.
Boeing currently produces 38 airplanes per month from its Renton, Washington factory and will increase to 42 per month in the first half of 2014. The first delivery of 737 MAX is on track for the third quarter of 2017. To date 11,200 orders for the single-Isle airplane have been placed by 266 customers worldwide. This is inclusive of 6,500 orders for the Next-Generation 737 and more than 1,600 orders for the 737 MAX. Boeing has more than 3,400 unfilled orders across the 737 family.
