By Jon Ostrower FARNBOROUGH, England--With a growing surge of announced orders here for its updated 737 Max, Boeing Co. (BA) is planning its transition from its popular current-generation single-aisle jet. The jet-maker plans a roughly 24- to 36-month slowdown and phase-out from 2017 to 2019 of its Next Generation 737, which has been in production since 1997, said Bev Wyse, Boeing 737 program vice president and general manager, during an interview at the Farnborough International Air Show. Wyse said Boeing will "respond to market requirements" as customers place orders for the current generation 737, but added that its most distant deliveries are slated for 2019. The Next-Generation 737 is Boeing's highest-rate production model with 35 built each month. That number will climb to 42 in 2014 to meet demand for the single-aisle jets. The company will introduce the updated 737 Max with Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) in late 2017. CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric Co. (GE) and Safran SA (SAF.FR), said earlier it planned to significantly scale down production by 2019 of its CFM56 engine that powers Boeing's single-aisle jet today, and is one of two engine options on the Airbus A320, the rival to the 737. Write to Jon Ostrower at jon.ostrower@dowjones.com
