Q: Is Boeing building 737 MAX jets in Everett?
A: Yes — for the first time. Boeing’s North Line, a new fourth 737 MAX assembly line at the Everett factory, is scheduled to begin production in summer 2026. The line will initially produce 737-8, 737-9, and 737-10 variants, with the workforce combining newly hired Everett employees and experienced teammates transferred from Renton and Moses Lake.
Boeing’s North Line: What It Means for Everett Workers and the Local Economy
For decades, if you wanted to see a 737 MAX come to life, you went to Renton. That’s about to change.
Boeing is preparing to open a fourth 737 MAX assembly line — called the North Line — at its massive Everett factory this summer, marking the first time in the company’s history that a narrowbody commercial aircraft will be assembled in Everett. For a city whose economy has long been anchored to Boeing’s widebody programs, it’s a meaningful shift — and one that’s already putting people to work.
A New Line, a New Chapter
The Everett factory — already the largest building by volume in the world — has been home to Boeing’s 747, 767, 777, and 777X programs. The addition of 737 MAX production to that mix isn’t just a production decision. It’s a signal that Boeing sees Everett as central to its recovery and growth strategy.
The North Line will be capable of building all 737 MAX variants, though it will initially focus on the 737-8, 737-9, and 737-10. Boeing program manager Katie Ringgold said the line will add capacity for production rates above 47 aircraft per month once it’s fully integrated — with a longer-term goal of reaching 63 planes per month, a target Ringgold acknowledged will “take a number of years.”
Production in Everett will replicate the build process used at the Renton factory, with one notable addition: a 737 Wing Transport Tool will ferry partially completed wings between facilities for final assembly in Everett.
Hiring and Training Are Already Underway
Construction and tooling on the North Line are complete. The focus now is on people.
Boeing is staffing the North Line with a mix of newly hired employees and experienced teammates drawn from Renton, Everett, and Moses Lake. The hiring process has been methodical by design. New employees complete 12 weeks of foundational training followed by structured on-the-job training (SOJT) at the Renton facility, pairing newcomers with experienced mentors before they transition to Everett.
Jaden Myers and Alondra Ponce were among the first employees hired specifically for the North Line, completing their training in late 2025. Myers, who works as a Flow Day 1 dorsal fin installer, described the experience straightforwardly: “Opening a new production line is something special — we have to do it right.” Ponce, an electrician, said the training environment set a positive tone: “Training was so positive and refreshing. It was different than any other training I’ve done. My managers and the workplace coaches were always there.”
Veteran Boeing mechanic John V. — a nearly 40-year Boeing employee who has worked across the 747, 767, and 777 programs — has joined the North Line in an FAA coordinator role, bringing institutional knowledge that newer employees will lean on as the line ramps up.
The Slow-and-Steady Approach: What LRIP Means
Boeing isn’t flipping the switch and immediately cranking out jets. The North Line will begin with a Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) phase — an intentionally slow ramp-up that allows the team to conduct additional checks, fine-tune the production system, and demonstrate FAA compliance before full integration.
The first set of airplanes off the North Line will serve as conformity aircraft — essentially proving to the FAA that production at this new location meets the requirements of Boeing’s production certificate, PC700, the same certificate that covers 737 MAX production in Renton.
Jennifer Boland-Masterson, the North Line’s production leader, put it in plain terms: “You don’t start with a marathon. You start with shorter distances and build up from there.”
It’s a philosophy that reflects lessons Boeing has been working to absorb since the turbulence of recent years — the 737 MAX 9 door plug incident in January 2024, the subsequent FAA production rate cap, and the IAM 751 strike in fall 2024 that idled the Everett factory for seven weeks. Boeing’s Washington workforce declined from roughly 67,000 employees in early 2025 to about 65,000 by mid-year, before hiring picked back up in the second half of 2025.
What It Means for Everett
Boeing’s Everett campus already employs more than 30,000 people. The addition of 737 production — with its associated hiring, supply chain activity, and long-term production goals — represents a meaningful expansion of Boeing’s footprint in the city.
That matters beyond the factory floor. Boeing workers are a significant driver of housing demand in Snohomish County. They fill seats at Everett restaurants and coffee shops. Their paychecks circulate through the local economy in ways that affect schools, retail corridors, and city tax revenues. A production line that eventually sustains hundreds of additional jobs in Everett isn’t an abstraction — it shows up in lease signings, school enrollment, and downtown foot traffic.
The North Line also reflects Boeing’s broader effort to rebalance its manufacturing footprint. For years, Renton has been the sole producer of 737s — a single-point-of-failure arrangement that’s been a source of vulnerability. Distributing 737 production to Everett adds resilience to a program that generates more revenue than any other in Boeing’s commercial lineup.
The Road Ahead
The summer 2026 opening will mark the beginning of a multi-year ramp. The LRIP phase gives Boeing time to work out the kinks before volume increases. Katie Ringgold’s target of 63 aircraft per month across the combined Renton and North Line production is ambitious — but the cadence being set now, with careful hiring, thorough training, and FAA-compliant conformity builds, is the foundation it needs.
For Everett, the story is straightforward: the city that built the 747 — the plane that changed commercial aviation — is now becoming a home for the aircraft that defines Boeing’s near-term commercial future. The 737 MAX has had a complicated history. The North Line is part of how Boeing writes what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Boeing’s North Line?
The North Line is a new fourth 737 MAX assembly line at Boeing’s Everett, Washington factory. It is the first time Boeing will produce narrowbody commercial aircraft in Everett, which has historically built widebody jets including the 747, 767, 777, and 777X.
When will the North Line open?
Boeing has announced a summer 2026 opening for the North Line. Production will begin with a Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) phase before ramping to full integration with 737 MAX output.
How many jobs will the North Line create in Everett?
Boeing has not disclosed specific job numbers for the North Line. The workforce will combine newly hired Everett employees with experienced teammates transferred from Boeing’s Renton and Moses Lake facilities.
What 737 MAX models will be built at Everett?
The North Line will initially produce 737-8, 737-9, and 737-10 variants. The line is capable of building all 737 MAX models.
What is LRIP and why does it matter?
Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) is an intentionally slow startup phase that allows Boeing to conduct additional quality checks and demonstrate FAA compliance before the North Line is integrated into full 737 MAX production flow. The conformity aircraft produced during LRIP must satisfy the FAA under Boeing’s production certificate PC700.
How does this affect Boeing’s overall 737 production rate?
Once fully integrated, the North Line will add capacity beyond 47 aircraft per month across the combined Renton and Everett production. Boeing’s long-term target is 63 aircraft per month, though program manager Katie Ringgold has noted that reaching that rate will take several years.
Go Deeper: We’ve published detailed knowledge nodes expanding on this story for specific Everett audiences:
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