Q: Where will Boeing build the 737 MAX 10?
A: Boeing confirmed the 737 MAX 10 will be produced exclusively at the new North Line at the Everett factory at Paine Field, opening midsummer 2026. The MAX 10 is Boeing's longest 737 variant and will not be built at the existing Renton facility. With over 1,200 orders on the books from airlines including United, Ryanair, American, and Delta, Everett is now the sole production site for the industry's most-ordered undelivered narrowbody variant.

The Boeing 737 MAX 10 Will Be Built Exclusively in Everett — And More Than 1,200 Airline Orders Are Riding on It

When Boeing's North Line opens at the Everett factory this summer, it will not just be another production line. It will be the only place on earth where the Boeing 737 MAX 10 gets built.

That distinction matters more than it might seem at first. The MAX 10 is Boeing's longest and highest-capacity 737 variant. It seats up to 230 passengers in a high-density configuration, making it the narrowbody option for airlines trying to squeeze maximum economics out of a single-aisle jet. And as of the start of 2026, it has accumulated more than 1,200 firm orders — placing it among the most heavily ordered undelivered commercial aircraft in aviation history. Every single one of those aircraft will be built at Paine Field, Everett, Snohomish County.

The certification that unlocks all of those deliveries is still pending FAA approval, expected to complete in 2026. But the production infrastructure — the line that will build the first of those 1,200-plus jets — is taking shape now. The workforce is training. The tooling is installed. The North Line is scheduled to open at low-rate initial production (LRIP) this summer.

Why the MAX 10 Goes to Everett and Not Renton

Boeing's existing 737 production is entirely at Renton, Washington — three parallel assembly lines producing the MAX 8, MAX 9, and other variants at the facility that has built 737s since 1967. Adding the MAX 10 at Renton would require either displacing an existing line or building additional capacity in an already constrained campus.

Everett offered something Renton could not: space. The Boeing Everett Factory at Paine Field is the largest building in the world by volume, originally constructed for the 747 program. As widebody programs have evolved and the 747 ended production, floor space became available for new purposes. The North Line occupies that freed-up real estate.

The MAX 10's physical size also factors in. At 143.8 feet long — 66 inches longer than the MAX 9 and requiring modified landing gear with a new semi-levered bogie to maintain ground clearance — the MAX 10 is the most dimensionally complex 737 variant to build. Routing it to a new, purpose-configured line in Everett, rather than trying to integrate it into Renton's existing flow, gives Boeing tighter control over tooling and process standardization for what is still a new configuration.

The practical result: Everett becomes the home of the MAX 10 for the foreseeable future of the program.

The Order Book: 1,200-Plus and What It Represents

More than 1,200 firm orders for the MAX 10 is not an abstract number. It is the work order for Everett's North Line, measured in individual aircraft that will each require assembly, quality checks, systems installation, and delivery to an airline customer somewhere in the world.

The customer list reads like a roll call of global aviation's largest operators. United Airlines holds 167 MAX 10s — the U.S. carrier with the largest single MAX 10 order. Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost carrier, has 150 on order. American Airlines has committed to 115. Delta Air Lines, historically a Boeing skeptic that spent years flying Airbus A321s, placed an order for 100 MAX 10s, a significant statement of confidence in the variant and in Boeing's recovery.

Other operators round out the book: Southwest Airlines, IndiGo, Lion Air Group, and others have positions in the queue. Each will eventually take delivery from the Paine Field line. Combined, they represent years of production — and years of economic activity in Snohomish County.

For context: Boeing's current approved production rate for all 737 variants is 42 per month at Renton. The North Line will add capacity incrementally as it stabilizes. Boeing's next target rate — 47 jets per month across all lines — is now confirmed for 2027, not 2026, as the FAA requires demonstrated quality performance before approving any rate increase. The long-run goal remains 63 per month. The North Line is the essential bridge to those higher numbers.

Certification First — Without It, None of This Happens

There is an important sequence dependency here that every observer of the Everett story should understand: the MAX 10 cannot be delivered to any of those 1,200-plus customers until the FAA certifies it. That certification is expected in 2026, but it has not yet been granted.

The MAX 10 has been in certification limbo since a 2022 Congressional deadline was not met, requiring Boeing to re-engage with the FAA on the certification pathway. The path forward involves the PC700 amendment — an agreement on what additional compliance work the MAX 10 must complete — and flight testing with conformity aircraft. Boeing has been publicly confident that 2026 certification is achievable, and the April 2026 North Line opening at LRIP is predicated on that timeline.

The North Line opening at low-rate initial production before certification is not unusual. LRIP aircraft serve as conformity airplanes for the FAA certification process — each one built to production-standard specs and inspected to verify that the manufacturing process matches the certified design. Building those aircraft in Everett is itself part of the certification workflow, not a bypass of it.

Once the FAA signs off on the MAX 10, deliveries can begin. The aircraft that United, Ryanair, American, and Delta have been waiting for will start flowing from Paine Field. That transition — from conformity aircraft to delivery aircraft on the same line — is the moment Everett's North Line earns its place in Boeing's permanent production footprint.

What This Means for Everett's Economy

The aerospace workforce in Snohomish County numbers approximately 42,000 direct employees at Boeing and its supply chain. The 5,200-worker shortage projected through end of 2026 — driven by retirement velocity, time-to-productivity at scale, and housing economics — has been one of the defining labor stories of the North Line ramp-up.

The MAX 10's exclusive assignment to Everett locks that workforce relationship in for the program's foreseeable life. As long as Boeing is building MAX 10s — and with 1,200-plus orders representing potentially a decade-plus of production at current rates — the Paine Field facility needs the assemblers, technicians, inspectors, and engineers to build them. The IAM 751 Machinists Institute at 8729 Airport Road, the WATR Center, Everett Community College, and Edmonds College are all building training pipelines toward this specific demand.

The supply chain picture is similarly significant. Boeing's integration of Spirit AeroSystems, completed in late 2025, brought the fuselage supplier's Wichita and other operations under Boeing's banner. Snohomish County's 600-plus aerospace supplier companies — from precision machining shops to composites fabricators — will see MAX 10 work flow into their order books as the line scales.

The widebody story at Paine Field — the 777-9 certification path, the 777-8F freighter program, the KC-46 tanker backlog — gets most of the public attention because those programs are larger and more visually dramatic. The MAX 10 story is quieter, but in terms of sheer unit volume and long-run economic contribution to Everett, it may end up being the most consequential production decision Boeing has made about this factory in years.

More than 1,200 airplanes. All of them built right here.

Related reading: Boeing Rate 47 and Everett's North Line | MAX 7 and MAX 10 Certification on Track for 2026 | What Is LRIP? The FAA Conformity Process Explained

Frequently Asked Questions

Why will the Boeing 737 MAX 10 only be built in Everett?

Boeing assigned the MAX 10 exclusively to the new North Line at the Everett factory at Paine Field. Everett has the available floor space freed up from the 747 program's end, and the MAX 10's longer fuselage and specialized landing gear made a dedicated production line more efficient than integrating it into Renton's existing flow.

How many Boeing 737 MAX 10 orders are there?

Boeing has received more than 1,200 firm orders for the 737 MAX 10. Major customers include United Airlines (167), Ryanair (150), American Airlines (115), and Delta Air Lines (100), plus Southwest, IndiGo, Lion Air Group, and others.

When will the Boeing 737 MAX 10 be certified?

Boeing expects FAA certification of the 737 MAX 10 in 2026. The program is proceeding through conformity aircraft and flight testing under the PC700 amendment framework. Certification must be complete before any MAX 10 can be delivered to airline customers.

When does the Boeing North Line in Everett open?

Boeing plans to open the North Line at midsummer 2026 at low-rate initial production (LRIP). The line will initially build conformity aircraft for the MAX 10 FAA certification process, then transition to commercial deliveries once certification is complete.

How does the MAX 10 differ from the MAX 9?

The 737 MAX 10 is 66 inches longer than the MAX 9, reaching 143.8 feet total length. It seats up to 230 passengers and features a semi-levered landing gear bogie design to maintain ground clearance despite the longer fuselage. It is Boeing's direct competitor to the Airbus A321neo.

Q: What does the Boeing 777-9 simulator qualification mean for Everett?
A: On February 19, 2026, the FAA and EASA certified the first full-flight simulators for the Boeing 777-9. This milestone allows airlines including Lufthansa to begin pilot training programs, a prerequisite for 777X deliveries from the Paine Field line in Everett. Lufthansa's Frankfurt simulator is completing installation in late May 2026, with deliveries targeted for early 2027.

Boeing 777-9 Simulators Just Cleared the FAA and EASA — And That Is a Bigger Deal for Everett Than It Sounds

In the long story of the Boeing 777X program — a saga measured in years of delays, billions in cost overruns, and a certification path that has been anything but linear — a milestone cleared on February 19, 2026, deserves more attention than it got: the FAA and EASA jointly certified the first full-flight training simulators for the Boeing 777-9.

That might sound like a bureaucratic checkbox. It is not. For Everett, where every one of those jets will be assembled in the world's largest building, it means the airline industry is now formally preparing to operate the widebody jet that this factory has spent years building up to deliver. Airlines cannot hire and train 777X crews without FAA-qualified simulators. The simulator certification is the moment when "getting ready" becomes "getting pilots ready." The Paine Field production line just got a very real signal that its customers are moving from theory to execution.

What the Qualification Actually Covers

The February 19 announcement from Boeing's mediaroom came jointly with simulator manufacturer CAE. The devices qualified include a full-flight simulator (FFS) and a flight training device (FTD), both located at the Boeing Training Campus in Gatwick, United Kingdom. Both carry Level D qualification — the highest standard the FAA issues, requiring six-degrees-of-freedom motion, full visual system fidelity, and cueing that replicates the actual aircraft within tight tolerances.

The significance of Level D: it is the standard airlines need to conduct type rating training. Without it, pilots cannot legally qualify on a new aircraft type in revenue service. The FAA and EASA granting Level D to the 777-9 simulators simultaneously is a coordinated signal that both the primary regulators for U.S. and European carriers are aligned on the aircraft's systems representation — a meaningful statement for a program that has had to fight for every regulatory inch.

Crucially, this qualification predates delivery. That is intentional. The lead time to train a 777-9 crew is substantial. Airlines need months of instructor qualification, line training device hours, and route-specific procedures work before the first airplane lands in the hands of a paying passenger. By certifying simulators in February 2026 — roughly a year before the currently confirmed Lufthansa delivery window of early 2027 — Boeing and the regulators built in the runway carriers need to actually be ready.

Lufthansa Is First — And Already Installing Its Own Simulator

Lufthansa, the 777X launch customer with 34 aircraft on order, is not waiting. Lufthansa Aviation Training, the carrier's pilot training subsidiary, has received the first Boeing 777-9 full-flight simulator delivered to an airline. As of late April 2026, that device is being assembled and installed at LAT's Frankfurt training center, with operational readiness planned for late May 2026.

The Frankfurt simulator coming online in May matters for Everett's timeline. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr confirmed in March 2026 that the carrier now expects its first 777-9 delivery in Q1 2027. That is a compressed window. For Lufthansa to take delivery and put the aircraft into revenue service, it needs trained captains and first officers before the keys are handed over. The simulator arriving in Frankfurt now, five-plus months before the delivery window, is the logistical machinery that makes a Q1 2027 entry-into-service possible rather than theoretical.

The Paine Field assembly line where that first Lufthansa jet is being built has approximately 30 stored 777X jets awaiting rework completion, a scale disclosed on Boeing's Q1 2026 earnings call. The rework timeline — combined with the production flight campaign Boeing targeted for April 2026 — means the Everett widebody team is running multiple parallel tracks simultaneously: complete the production flight, continue the FAA certification campaign, resolve the stored-jet rework sequence, and deliver to Lufthansa before Q1 2027 expires.

The simulator qualification removes one of the few variables that was entirely outside Boeing's control. Airlines can now train. That is one less bottleneck between this factory and the first revenue flight of a jet years in the making.

Asia-Pacific Carriers Are Also Preparing

Lufthansa is not the only operator in motion. CAE is installing Asia-Pacific's first Boeing 777X full-flight simulator at the Singapore-CAE Flight Training Centre, serving a cluster of early-order operators including Singapore Airlines (31 aircraft on order), Cathay Pacific (21 aircraft), ANA, and Air India. Each of those jets will roll out of the building at Paine Field.

Every simulator coming online in Frankfurt, Singapore, or wherever else airlines establish their 777X training footprints represents a future delivery from Everett's widebody line. The February qualification set the legal foundation for all of it.

For Boeing Everett's workforce, the broader pattern is worth understanding. The 777 program has been this factory's anchor for decades. The 777-300ER has been one of the most commercially successful widebodies in history. The 777-9, its successor, carries a combined backlog of several hundred orders. Getting it into service successfully — and on the current 2027 timeline rather than slipping again — is a defining question for whether the Everett widebody line sustains the workforce and economic weight it has carried in Snohomish County for a generation.

The GE9X Factor

One complication sitting alongside the simulator news: GE Aerospace, the exclusive supplier of the GE9X engine that powers the 777-9, disclosed in early 2026 that it is working on a fix for a mid-seal durability issue identified during a shop visit in January. Boeing and GE have both stated the resolution does not push 777-9 certification or delivery beyond the current 2027 timeline.

The GE9X is the engine that makes the 777-9's efficiency case: roughly 10 percent better fuel burn than the 777-300ER, with the largest commercial fan diameter in the industry at 134 inches. A mid-seal durability issue caught during a shop visit is exactly the kind of finding a rigorous certification campaign is designed to surface. Both companies have financial and reputational reasons to be precise about its scope. But it is a real variable on the program's critical path, and Everett workers and suppliers tracking the 2027 delivery window should know it exists and is being actively worked.

What to Watch From Here

The sequence ahead: Boeing targeted April 2026 for the first production-standard 777-9 flight from Paine Field. That flight triggers the FAA's grant of Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) for the production-configured aircraft, allowing FAA pilots to join the cockpit for final certification flights. TIA clearance in the second half of 2026 would set up a 2027 delivery consistent with what Spohr confirmed in March.

In the meantime, the Gatwick training campus is active, Frankfurt's simulator is being installed, and Singapore's device is being prepared. The certification machinery is in motion from multiple directions. For the 42,000-person aerospace workforce that defines Everett's economy, the trajectory matters more than any single checkpoint. The simulator qualification, unflashy as it is, is one of the clearest signals yet that Boeing and its customers are treating the 2027 timeline as real.

Related reading: Boeing 777X Rework: 30 Stored Jets at Paine Field | Boeing 777X Clears FAA Phase 4A | What the 777-8F and KC-46 Mean for Everett's Workforce

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Level D flight simulator qualification?

Level D is the highest FAA certification for full-flight simulators. It requires six-degrees-of-freedom motion, high-fidelity visual systems, and precise replication of the aircraft's handling qualities. Airlines must use Level D simulators for type rating training — the qualification pilots need before flying a new aircraft type commercially.

Why does the 777-9 simulator qualification matter for Everett?

Every Boeing 777-9 is assembled at the Paine Field factory in Everett. Simulator certification allows airline customers to begin training pilots — a prerequisite for accepting deliveries. Without certified simulators, airlines cannot legally qualify crews, which would delay deliveries regardless of production progress.

When does Lufthansa expect its first Boeing 777-9?

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr confirmed in March 2026 that the carrier expects delivery in Q1 2027. Lufthansa has 34 aircraft on order and is installing its own Level D 777-9 simulator at its Frankfurt training center, with completion expected in late May 2026.

What is the GE9X mid-seal issue?

GE Aerospace disclosed in early 2026 that it is developing a fix for a mid-seal durability issue found during a GE9X shop visit in January 2026. Both Boeing and GE have stated the fix does not affect the 777-9's 2027 first-delivery timeline.

Which airlines have 777-9 orders?

Major customers include Emirates (115 aircraft), Lufthansa (34), Singapore Airlines (31), Cathay Pacific (21), Qatar Airways, and ANA. All aircraft will be assembled at the Boeing Everett factory at Paine Field in Snohomish County.