Boeing says wing production has started for 737 MAX jets

RENTON, Wash. -- Boeing's new 737 MAX passenger jet is one step closer to becoming a reality. The company confirmed Tuesday that production of the airplane's wings has begun at its 737 manufacturing plant near Seattle.

The company said during a media tour that production of the wings began last week. That's the first step toward completing a finished jet.

Structures known as skin panels and stringers have been loaded into large new machines for processing and assembly. Separately, wing spars were loaded were also loaded into assembly machines. When mated together they will make a completed wing, ready to be attached to a fuselage.

The milestone is also the start of a transformation in the airplane's manufacturing process, which until recently has remained largely unchanged since the first 737 was introduced in 1968. Rather than mating wing-skin panels and stringers by hand, a new assembly machine dubbed the Panel Assembly Line (PAL) will install rivets and fasteners via automation. Boeing says the 50-ton, 22-foot tall machines will reduce production time by one-third while also improving accuracy.

The company currently has four of the machines in use and plans to increase the total number to nine by the year's end. It says the increased automation is crucial if Boeing is to meet its target of producing 47 737s per month in 2017.

The 737 MAX is the latest update to one of the world's best-selling jets in history. But it's not a mere incremental change; the newest iteration will feature larger, more powerful engines. In turn, the increased engine weight necessitates a significant update to the wing. Boeing believes the changes will result in up to a 14% reduction in operating costs than the current version of the 737.

The first MAX jet is scheduled to roll out later this year, with a first flight anticipated in early 2016. The jet is expected to enter service in the second half of 2017.

Boeing has chosen to pit the MAX against the Airbus A320neo family in a battle for supremacy in the massive market for single-aisle passenger-jets. Both Boeing and European rival Airbus believe thousands of the narrowbody jets will be ordered by airlines in the coming decade.

The two aerospace giants have enjoyed a tight lock on the market for nearly three decades, usually splitting the sales in that aircraft segment. But Airbus appears poised to take the lead with the "neo" versions, which already in the early stages of flight testing. The European plane-maker has booked nearly 3,800 firm orders for the A320neo. Boeing's 737 MAX, launched eight months after the neo in 2011, has received 2,724 firm orders to date.

Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren is a Seattle-based photojournalist and aviation writer and a contributor to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. You also can follow Jeremy on Twitter at @photoJDL.