737 MAX

Boeing has split the production and design units at its commercial aeroplane division as a part of its efforts to ramp up production by more than 25% over the next 18 months and better compete with Airbus.

The new unit will handle design, development, testing and flight certification of new aeroplanes under one roof in a move intended to help avoid the significant delays faced over the 787 Dreamliner and jumbo 747-8 programmes.

The division will handle development of the 787-9, upgraded single-aisle 737 MAX, the building of tanker aircraft 767 for the US Air Force and will also formally launch the 777-X and 787-10X programmes in the near future.

Five of the new aircraft will be introduced over the next ten years, as part of its strategy to meet increasing customer demand for longer-range and fuel-efficient aircraft.

The long range 777 jet programme vice president and general manager Scott Fancher has been appointed to head the new division, while Boeing senior vice president Pat Shanahan is responsible for the Airplane Programmes division, which will handle the current production.

"The new unit will handle design, development, testing and flight certification of new aeroplanes under one roof."

Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive officer Ray Conner said that the new structure would help the company define responsibilities, streamline decision-making process and accelerate its progress.

It marks the company’s first major restructuring exercise after Ray Conner took over as the company’s CEO in June.

As a part of this restructuring, the US manufacturer is integrating the production programmes at South Carolina and Washington facilities into its Airplane Programmes unit.

At the UK Farnborough International Airshow held in July, Conner said that the company intended to focus on increasing the production rate and development of new aircraft.

The company had noted then that it had a backlog of more than 4,000 aircraft, which means almost seven years of production at the existing rate.

Image: Boeing’s new Airplane Development unit will handle the upgrade of single-aisle 737 MAX to address the growing consumer demand for fuel-efficient aircraft. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.