Boeing ups B777 production
Boeing has rolled out the first B777 aircraft to be built at the increased production rate of 8.3 planes per month, or 100 per year.
The production increase began in October 2012, and the first new aircraft – a B777 Freighter – will be delivered to Korean Air in February 2013.
“As we built the first airplane at the new rate, we saw some of the best production metrics ever,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 777 program. “Our factory is running smoothly and we’ve reduced the time it takes to build a 777 by one day from 49 to 48 days.”
In the past 31 months, the B777 production rate has increased twice; first from five to seven per month in 2011, and now to a record high of 8.3 aircraft per month.
To-date, Boeing has now delivered 1,066 B777s, out of a total of 1,431 orders.