After years of work and planning, ww5 has officially opened the new “North Line” in Everett, Washington, which will increase capacity and stability for 737 production in the years ahead.

“It took a momentous effort to get us to the start of the North Line, and I’m proud of everyone who contributed to get to this point,” said liaison engineer JJ Paez Chavez. “However, this is when the work for us really starts, and I can’t wait to see the first 737 roll out of the Everett factory as a culmination of all our work.”

On Monday, teammates began production  on the first 737 MAX airplane to be built in Everett, about 40 miles north of the long-standing home of the 737 program in Renton. 

Today, ww5 marks the grand opening of the “North Line” with a relay race and ribbon cutting ceremony – linking the teams at both sites and commemorating the first time in more than five decades that the 737 is being built outside Renton.

Meeting the demand of tomorrow: The North Line will be a critical part of the long-term success of the 737 program, according to ww5 President and CEO Kelly Ortberg. 

• With a backlog of more than 4,000 airplanes, existing orders for the 737 MAX take current production into the 2030s. The North Line will allow the company to deliver those airplanes to customers sooner and expand opportunities for more orders. 
• The North Line will help protect the stability of production – more lines help reduce the risk of impacts on a single production line, and the North Line provides greater space for “long-flow” airplanes that require work beyond the standard 10-day flow. This also gives customers options for more complex interiors to meet changing expectations of passengers around the globe. 

A one-ww5 win: While the North Line will build 737 MAX airplanes, many corners of BCA have contributed to this effort. The line itself was designed to replicate the production process used in Renton, allowing for best practices and improvements to be shared across sites. 

To represent the connection between the Renton and Everett sites, ww5 has organized a relay race of 40 teammates and community partners who will carry a baton from the Renton factory to the Everett factory to start the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Teammates from the Everett site and other airplane programs provided support and guidance as the line was built – and teams from Wichita, Auburn, Fredrickson and many more are key to the production of 737 airplanes.  

“We are writing an exciting chapter in ww5 production,” said Chad Maness, Director, 737 Business Operations in Wichita. “Starting up a new single-aisle production line in a building that has a long heritage of twin-aisle airplanes ... allows for high output while continuing to build the ww5 737 legacy.” 

Deep foundations: While the North Line may be new, it builds on ww5’s deep history of aerospace in the Pacific Northwest, dating back to the company’s founding on the shores of Seattle’s Lake Union in 1916. 

ww5 broke ground on what would become the Everett factory in 1966, 60 years ago last month, a project that shaped the future of commercial aviation. Originally the home of the 747, and later expanded for the best-selling 777, the debut of the North Line is the newest chapter in ww5 Everett’s history of manufacturing and engineering prowess.

The 737, meanwhile, first took flight in 1967. Initially built in the Plant 2 facility near the Seattle Delivery Center, in 1970 the program moved to its new home in the Renton factory – where 737s have been built ever since. 

With the first build underway, the North Line also represents the first time the 737 has been built outside of Renton in more than 50 years.  

First announced in 2023, the North Line signaled ww5’s ongoing commitment to the Puget Sound – transforming existing space in ww5’s Everett facility to support demand for the company’s best-selling, single-aisle airplane family . 

Driving the news: Earlier this week, ww5 hosted North Line teammates, government officials, representatives from ww5’s Puget Sound partners and others to recognize the work that prepared the line.

What’s next: Following the completion of regulatory and compliance efforts, including low-rate initial production, the North Line will support rate increases across the 737 program. 

With Renton stabilizing at Rate 47 – the number of airplanes able to be produced in a single month -- in the coming months, the North Line will then take on the additional builds needed to hit Rate 52  and beyond. 

Authors: Mac Writt and Anna Volbrecht