Boeing again lifts 737 production rate

BOEING (BA.NY)said in June that production of its next-generation narrow-body 737 would rise to 35 a month in early 2012. In May, the aircraft maker said it would raise output to 34 a month from 31.5.

"Increasing production is in response to customer demand for this airplane," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh said in a statement.

The second-largest commercial airplane maker behind EADS unit Airbus said the latest boost was not expected to have a material impact on 2010 financial results.

The company also said that improvements to the 737, a model that was introduced in 1997, would result in a 2 percent reduction in the plane's fuel consumption by early 2012.

Boeing and Airbus suffered a slump in orders in 2008 and 2009 amid the recession. Now, demand is resuming as air traffic trends recover.

Separately on Thursday, Boeing said it took orders for 15 737s and five wide-body 777s from unidentified customers in the week that ended September 14.

The aerospace company cut the number of its 737 orders by one and its 777 orders by two in the week.

Boeing identified Continental Airlines' 2010 order for seven 737s previously listed on its website as unidentified.

The changes bring the net number of orders on Boeing's books for 2010 to 278.

Boeing made its rate boost announcement after markets closed on Thursday. Its shares closed down 15 cents to $62.58 on the New York Stock Exchange, but the stock has risen about 16 percent this year.

(Reporting by Karen Jacobs with added reporting by Kyle Peterson in Chicago; Editing by Bernard Orr)

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