Boeing faces FAA ‘tabletop exercises’ before any 737 MAX production cap increase
August 26, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to run scenario-based ‘tabletop exercises’ with Boeing to inform any potential rise in the current cap on 737 MAX production.
The US planemaker has been limited on the number of 737 MAX jets it can produce each month, following an alarming mid-air emergency in January 2024 involving an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 that was missing four critical bolts.
Boeing is currently limited to a rate of 38 737 MAX per month, a number which it has only recently begun to hit.
What will the FAA exercises involve?
The tabletop exercises are designed to highlight any risks involved and verify that Boeing can sustain quality as production ramps up.
The FAA wants to establish a roadmap by which it can evaluate any formal request from Boeing to boost production. However, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford noted that the planemaker is yet to request a rate increase.
“They still haven’t asked us to increase the rate, and we haven’t agreed to do anything,” Bedford told Reuters on Tuesday. “We agreed that it would make sense to start to develop the process by which we would entertain a rate increase conversation.”
While the details of the exercises are still being worked out, Bedford noted that he hopes to have them completed by the end of September.
“Then if they want to ask us for an increase, at least, we’ll have a roadmap on how we can evaluate it,” he said.
When will Boeing ask for a 737 MAX production rate increase?
Boeing successfully rolled out its first 737 MAX at the 38‑per‑month rate in May, marking the first time since late 2020 that this milestone had been achieved.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in May 2025 that the company was “pretty confident” it could step up to 42 aircraft per month by year-end, if regulators allowed.
However, in a June 2025 congressional hearing, the acting FAA head noted the agency wasn’t yet considering lifting the cap. This underscores that stability, not just volume, remains key for regulators.
It’s likely Boeing could formally request a production rate increase once the tabletop exercises are complete, and almost certainly before the end of 2025.
