Boeing expects next-aircraft development will accelerate as certification work winds down¶
Executive says completing outstanding certifications and ramping production will ready Boeing to focus on future aircraft.
WhileBoeingdoes not appear close to launching a next-generation aircraft, the company intends to ramp up development work for such an aircraft after it completes certifications of the 737 Max 7, Max 10 and 777-9 widebody.
That is according to Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) chief executive Stephanie Pope, who last week said finishing those projects and speeding up aircraft production rates will give the company financial and technical resources needed to focus more directly on what comes next.
“You’ll start to see [product development] ramp up as we complete that certification work and we take those resources and move them over,” Pope says, speaking in London. “That is a lot of engineering expertise and capability that we can start to roll off and grow our [product development] team.”
Boeing has said it expects the US Federal Aviation Administration will certificate the 737 Max 7, the smallest variant of the narrowbody family, this summer, and it anticipates securing certification for the Max 10, the largest variant, before year-end. Next year it expects to begin delivering 777-9s.
Pope declines to specify when Boeing aims to bring a new aircraft to market, reiterating a company line that the timeframe depends on three factors: market and technology readiness and Boeing’s own financial position.
For several years, observers have generally assumed Boeing and competitor Airbus will bring next-generation narrowbody jets to market in the mid-2030s.
But that timeline could be trending later. This month, Pratt & Whitney president of commercial engines Rick Deurloo said he expects such aircraft will enter service around 2040, citing the still-troubled state of the aerospace supply chain and the industry’s need to achieve stability.
Pope says Boeing’s financial readiness depends heavily on returning the 737 Max project to health – meaning not only completing certifications but also hiking production. She says the programme generates as much as 70% of BCA’s cash, adding, “Getting that programme up to rate is very, very important to our recovery.”
Boeing is now ramping 737 production from 42 to 47 jets monthly. In early July itopeneda fourth 737 production linein Everett, complementing three longstanding lines in Renton. The new “North Line” will enable Boeing to reach a 53-monthly production rate and to increase output from there, it says.
Boeing lost money every year between 2019 and 2024, falling a combined $36 billion into the red. But it finally swung into the black in 2025 with a $2.2 billion profit.
But the company is now saddled with a heavy debt load – $44 billion at the end of March.
On the technology side, Boeing executives have long said next-generation narrowbodies must be 20-30% more efficient than those produced today. Much of that gain is expected to come from engines under development by firms like GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.
Also speaking in London last week, Boeing Global Services CEO Chris Raymond noted that despite several challenging years the company “didn’t really ever stop investing” in product development and has “tried to protect the R&D” pipeline.
Through much of the 2010s, Boeing had invested roughly $2 billion annually on research and development. It slashed that investment by roughly half at the start of this decade, spending $1.1 billion in 2021. But Boeing’s R&D spending has since recovered, hitting $2.2 billion in 2025, securities filings show.Subscribe to gain access to all newsAlready have a subscription?Log in.Choose your subscriptionConsidering a corporate subscription?Contact usto find out more.
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- Tags:
- Aerospace
- Air Transport
- Aircraft programmes
- Airframers
- Engines
- North America
- United States
- 737 Max
- 777-9
- 777X
- Boeing