There’s more progress to share as the 787-9 continues to roll along. The wings for the first airplane recently arrived at our Everett factory.

The wings for the first 787-9, from our partner MHI. Matthew Thompson photo.

I also wanted to share a picture of the flight deck for the first 787-9, also known as Section 41 of the airplane. As part of the production process, our friends at Spirit recently powered up Section 41.

The team at Spirit powered up the first 787-9 flight deck recently in Wichita, Kan. Photo courtesy of Spirit Aerosystems.

It’s great to know the wings and other sections will soon be taking shape for the 787-9 as the airplane moves toward first flight later this year.

I wanted to send out my congratulations to United Airlines as they became the first airline to resume 787 service in the United States. United Airlines Flight 1 from Houston to Chicago left on time and landed ahead of schedule. A few of my colleagues, including Boeing’s chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney, were lucky enough to be on board. By all accounts, it was great flight. As Jim said today— the 787 is back and on the way to fulfilling its promise. Enjoy the photos.

United’s Flight 1 at the gate in Houston.

Leaving the gate for Chicago.

The flight crew for United’s 787 return to service.

The CEOs! Boeing’s Jim McNerney and United’s Jeff Smisek.

Inside the flight deck before takeoff.

Wheels up!

The view from the 787’s larger windows on the way from Houston to Chicago.

It’s only fitting that the launch customer of the new 737 MAX has now become the first airline to order the 737 MAX 7. Today, Southwest announced it will convert 30 existing orders for Next-Generation 737s into orders for the 737 MAX 7. The airline is expected to take its first delivery of the 737 MAX 7 in 2019. Southwest now has a total of 180 737 MAX airplanes on order.

The 737 MAX 7 in Southwest livery.

Southwest’s announcement brings our total number of MAX orders to 1,315. That includes this week’s new order from Turkish Airlines for 40 MAX 8s and 10 MAX 9s.

As more airlines begin to modernize and expand their fleets, we’re proud they’re choosing the 737 MAX. For example, the MAX 7 will extend the range over today’s 737-700 by approximately 400 nautical miles. The MAX program continues to track toward firm configuration by the middle of this year and we’re excited about the progress. Our focus remains on building the very best single-aisle airplane for our customers and their passengers.

A lot of great things are happening at our 787 factory in Everett. In just the past few days, the first major piece of the 787-9 arrived—and the first 787 built at the increased production rate of 7 airplanes per month rolled out of the factory. Today, we marked another important moment as 787 deliveries got back underway with a delivery to ANA.

787 Line Number 83 for ANA being prepped for delivery earlier this week. Photo by Patrick Rodwell.

Line 83 is seen here during a previous test flight. Photo by Tim Stake.

The health of our 787 factories in Everett and North Charleston has never been better or more efficient. And despite the disruption in deliveries over the past several months, we still expect to deliver all the 787s we originally planned to by the end of the year. We once again thank our customers for their patience and confidence as we begin delivering on our commitments.

Boeing employees take great pride in their work. And recently, some of them got the chance of a lifetime. Six 777 frontline mechanics who’ve been honored for their commitment to quality got to fly with American Airlines on the delivery flight of its new 777-300ER.

The newest 777-300ER for American Airlines parked at Boeing Field. All photos by Marian Lockhart.

Mt. Rainier is seen in the background as the 777-300ER for American Airlines prepares to depart.

The Boeing employees flew from Boeing Field to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where they toured American’s facilities. For some of the employees, after years of building the airplanes, it was their first chance to fly on a 777-300ER. They were joined on the flight by more than 100 American employees.

Signing the final paperwork to make the delivery official.

The six Boeing 777 employees invited on to the flight gather with Elizabeth Lund, vice president and general manager for the 777 program.

The entire American Airlines and Boeing teams gather for a group photo before heading for Dallas.

Flyaway for the American Airlines 777-300ER.

American is the first airline in the U.S. to operate the 777-300ER. They now have six of the airplanes with 14 more on order. Congratulations to everyone involved for this beautiful airplane and one unforgettable flight.