Boeing to increase 737 production rate in 2014

"Customers are demanding our Next-Generation 737 at an unprecedented rate," said Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in a statement. "New performance improvements and enhanced passenger comfort features have driven home the value equation for our customers."

The world's second largest plane-maker after EADS <EAD.PA> unit Airbus currently produces 31.5 737 airplanes per month and expects to go to 35 per month in early 2012, 38 per month in the second quarter of 2013, and then 42 per month in the first half of 2014.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)