Production begins on first Boeing 737 MAX stringers

Boeing has begun production of the first 737 MAX fuselage stringers, which will be shipped to Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita to be incorporated into the first 737 MAX fuselage.

Stringers run the length of the fuselage structure to give it stability and strength.

The first 737 MAX, an upgraded variant of Boeing’s popular Next Generation 737 single-aisle airliner, will eventually become part of the flight test fleet. It’s scheduled to fly in 2016.

The program is on track for final assembly to begin in 2015, Boeing said.

The 737 MAX incorporates new CFM International LEAP-1B engines, advanced technology winglets and other improvements.

The stringers are being built at Boeing’s facility in Auburn, Wash.

The plane will be 14 percent more fuel efficient than the most efficient Next Generation 737 and 20 percent better than the original Next Generation 737 when it first entered service, the company said.

Spirit AeroSystems builds the fuselage, pylons and thrust reversers of the plane in Wichita and wing components in Oklahoma.

It ships the fuselage by rail to Boeing’s factory in Renton, Wash.

Boeing recently said it is boosting 737 production to 52 planes a month beginning in 2018, or 620 planes a year. That’s its highest rate in history.

The company currently produces 42 737s a month and has plans to increase production to 47 a month by 2017.

Boeing has a record backlog of orders for the airliner.

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Production begins on first Boeing 737 MAX stringers."