737 production ramp up, and how it compares with the A320's

Boeing's announcement

Just as the 747-8 production rate was cut at Everett, Washington, Boeing announced that 737 output at Renton, Washington would rise. The line was building 38 aircraft a month. It would go to 42 a month in the first half of 2014 and then to 47 a month in 2017, the highest rate ever for Boeing's best selling airliner. Boeing had more than 3,400 unfilled orders across the 737 family at the time, including the 737 MAX.

How Airbus compared

Airbus had 4,223 unfilled orders across the A320 family, including the A320neo. Across its plants worldwide, Airbus had been building 42 aircraft a month since 2012, the highest rate ever for any commercial aircraft. It had no immediate plan to go higher because it worried about the fragility of its supply chain.

The A320 family was built on two assembly lines in Europe, Toulouse in France and Hamburg in Germany, plus a further plant in China. Toulouse was the original line and built A320s. Hamburg handled the A318, A319 and A321. Tianjin assembled A319s and A320s.

Tianjin was Airbus's first assembly plant outside Europe. It came out of a joint venture between Airbus and a Chinese consortium made up of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ) and the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC).

A new A320 family plant in Mobile, Alabama, USA was to join this network and build A319s, A320s and A321s from 2015.

Boeing, by contrast, built the 737 at one place only: Renton.