Boeing will increase the 767 production rate by 25%, or six aircraft annually, starting in the fourth quarter of 2017 in response to enduring demand for the freighter version of the aircraft.
The latest production rate increase comes less than two months after FedEx signed an order for 50 767s, with another 50 on option.
Boeing is currently building 767s at a rate of 1.5 per month, which is increasing to two per month in the fourth quarter next year under a previously announced plan. The 767 line will increase the monthly rate again to 2.5 aircraft per month in roughly two years.
“The 767 has a very healthy backlog through the mid part of the next decade," says Brad Zaback, vice-president and general manager of the 767 programme. "We are confident the market will support a long-term future for the 767.”
Commercial demand for the 35-year-old widebody was expected to wane as its passenger-carrying replacement – the 787 – entered service four years ago.
But FedEx never lost its considerable appetite for the freighter version of the aircraft for its express delivery service. Not including options, FedEx has ordered 106 767Fs from Boeing and remains the type’s only remaining commercial customer in the backlog.
The US Air Force also has ordered four 767s with a unique commercial design. Those aircraft are subsequently modified to become KC-46 tankers, with a standing requirement to purchase up to 179 over the next 12 years.
Adding six 767 deliveries to Boeing's yearly output still pales against the backdrop of the industry's escalating production rates. Over the next five years, Boeing plans to raise monthly deliveries of 737s by nearly 25% and of 787s by 40%, while introducing the 737 Max, 787-10 and 777-9X. Meanwhile, the company is struggling to maintain demand for the 747-8.
Boeing designed the 767 in the late-1970s, before the type entered service with United Airlines in 1982. The freighter version of the aircraft entered service with UPS 13 years later.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
