Q: Did Boeing fix the 25 Everett-built 737 MAX jets affected by the March wiring issue?
A: Yes. On Boeing’s April 22, 2026 first-quarter earnings call, CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed all 25 affected airplanes have been reworked and most have already been delivered to customers. The fix did not change Boeing’s full-year delivery target or the plan to lift 737 MAX production to 47 jets per month this summer, with Everett’s new 737 North Line providing the next layer of capacity to climb from there.
The wiring scare that paused Boeing 737 MAX deliveries between March 5 and March 11 has officially been put to bed — and Everett is the city that gets the next chapter.
On Tuesday’s first-quarter earnings call, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told analysts the company has reworked all 25 jets caught up in a machining error that left small scratches on internal wiring, and most of those airframes are already at customer airlines. The full-year delivery goal of at least 500 737s stays on the table. The plan to push 737 MAX production to 47 a month this summer stays on the table. And the long-term ramp to 52 a month — and eventually 63 — still runs straight through Snohomish County, because the new 737 MAX North Line at Boeing’s Everett factory is the production line that unlocks every rate increase above 47.
For Everett, that’s the headline. The wiring issue was the kind of small-but-real production stumble that has defined Boeing’s 2024 and 2025. The April 22 earnings call was the moment Boeing put a number on the rebound — 143 commercial deliveries in Q1, the company’s best quarter since 2019 — and reaffirmed the production strategy that puts Everett at the center of the recovery.
What the wiring issue actually was
In a March 10 statement, Boeing disclosed that routine pre-delivery checks had identified minor wiring damage on a group of 737 MAX airframes awaiting handover. The cause was traced to a machining error inside Boeing’s own facilities — not a supplier — that left small scratches on wire bundles. There was no in-service safety event tied to the issue, and Boeing initiated a delivery pause while engineers scoped the affected fleet.
Aviation tracking firms recorded a complete halt in 737 MAX deliveries between March 5 and March 11. By the end of March, Boeing had delivered 46 jets, down from 51 in February. Each affected airframe required roughly three days of rework. Boeing leadership initially estimated about 10 planned 737 MAX handovers would slip from the first quarter into the second.
On the April 22 earnings call, Ortberg closed the loop. The 25 airframes have been reworked. Most have already gone to customers. The remaining few are in the queue. And the broader production system absorbed the disruption without bending the full-year plan.
Why Everett gets the next chapter
Renton, Washington is still where Boeing assembles 737s today — three lines, every MAX variant. But Renton is at its capacity ceiling under Boeing’s current production certificate. The next rate above 47 jets a month requires a fourth assembly line, and Boeing has chosen the world’s largest building by volume — its Everett factory — to host it.
The North Line at Everett is targeted to begin operating in midsummer 2026. It will sit at the north end of the Everett factory floor, replicating the Renton build process with one new wrinkle: a 737 Wing Transport Tool that ferries partially completed wings into Everett for final assembly. The line will be capable of building all 737 MAX variants and is expected to focus first on the 737-8, 737-9, and the largest variant, the 737-10.
Ortberg confirmed on the earnings call that the 737 MAX 10, the largest and most complex variant in the family, will be produced predominantly at Everett. He also confirmed the line will start at a low initial production rate to demonstrate conformity to the FAA under Boeing’s current production certificate before it ramps up. That sequencing matters: it means the first months of Everett 737 production are about proving the build process to regulators, not flooding the market with new aircraft.
The Everett rate ladder
Boeing’s public production rate ladder for the 737 program now reads: hold at 38 a month through April, climb to 42 by midyear, push to 47 during summer, and get above 47 only once Everett’s North Line is operating at conformity. The next published step is 52 a month. Aerospace analysts expect Boeing to target 53 a month in 2026, with longer-term ambitions reaching 63 a month over a multi-year horizon.
Every step on that ladder above 47 a month is an Everett step. That’s the strategic significance of the North Line. It’s the production line that breaks Boeing out of its Renton-only ceiling and gives the 737 MAX program room to grow into its order book.
What that means for Everett
For the 42,000 people who make up the aerospace workforce in Snohomish County, the wiring rework being closed out and the rate ladder staying intact are two pieces of the same story. The hiring ramp continues. Boeing is bringing on more than 100 assemblers a day across its production lines this spring. The 737 Wing Transport Tool is a new piece of the Everett supply chain. The first 737 MAX assembled in Everett will roll out of the building before the end of 2026.
For Boeing’s customers — Southwest, United, Alaska, Ryanair, and the dozens of other airlines waiting on 737 MAX deliveries — Tuesday’s earnings call signaled that the wiring issue cost about three weeks of throughput, not a quarter. The Q1 number Boeing posted (143 commercial deliveries) was the largest opening quarter the company has had since 2019. For the first time in seven years, Boeing out-delivered Airbus in a single quarter.
For Snohomish County’s broader economy — the suppliers, the trades, the housing market that depends on aerospace paychecks, the Paine Field commercial terminal that benefits from aerospace business travel — the message from the earnings call was steadiness. Boeing is not lowering guidance. The production ramp is not slipping. And the next phase of growth runs through the Everett factory floor.
What hasn’t changed
None of this erases the harder questions still in front of Boeing. The 777X program is still running roughly seven years behind its original schedule, with first delivery to launch customer Lufthansa now targeted for 2027. The 767 commercial freighter line is in its final year before pivoting to KC-46 tanker production only. SPEEA’s contract for Boeing’s engineers and technical workers expires October 6, 2026, and the next round of Wichita-benchmarked negotiations is already on the calendar. The company posted a $7 million net loss in Q1, narrowed sharply from prior quarters but not yet profitable.
What changed on April 22 is the size of the cushion underneath the 737 program. The wiring issue is closed. The Everett line is on schedule. And the production rate that Boeing’s recovery story depends on is still on track.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 737 MAX jets were affected by the March 2026 wiring issue?
About 25 airframes that were awaiting customer delivery had small scratches on internal wiring caused by a machining error inside Boeing’s own facilities. No in-service safety event was tied to the issue.
Are all 25 jets fixed?
Yes. CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed on Boeing’s April 22, 2026 first-quarter earnings call that all 25 affected airplanes have been reworked, and most have already been delivered to customers.
Did the wiring rework change Boeing’s 2026 production plan?
No. Boeing’s full-year 737 delivery target of at least 500 jets remains unchanged, and the plan to ramp 737 MAX production to 47 per month this summer is intact.
Where does Everett fit into Boeing’s 737 production plan?
Boeing’s new 737 North Line at the Everett factory is targeted to begin operating in midsummer 2026 at an initial low production rate. It is the line that enables 737 production rates above 47 per month, with the next published target rate of 52 per month and longer-term ambitions reaching 63 per month.
Which 737 MAX variants will be built at Everett?
The North Line will be capable of building all 737 MAX variants and will initially focus on the 737-8, 737-9, and 737-10. CEO Kelly Ortberg has said the 737-10, the largest variant, will be produced predominantly at Everett.
How many planes did Boeing deliver in Q1 2026?
Boeing delivered 143 commercial aircraft in the first quarter of 2026, its best opening-quarter performance since 2019. For the first time in seven years, Boeing out-delivered Airbus in a single quarter.
Why is the Everett 737 North Line starting at a low initial rate?
Boeing has to demonstrate conformity to the FAA under its current production certificate before ramping the new line. Starting at a low initial rate (LRIP) lets the line prove its build process matches Renton’s before scaling.
What does this mean for Everett-area aerospace workers?
Boeing is hiring more than 100 assemblers per day across its production lines this spring. The North Line is expected to draw a combination of newly hired workers and existing teammates from Renton, Everett, and Moses Lake. The first 737 MAX assembled in Everett is scheduled to roll out of the factory before the end of 2026.
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