EVERETT, WA—Boeing will add a fourth assembly line at its factory here to produce more 737 Max aircraft.

Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, delivered the news to employees on Jan. 30. 

The new line is set to open in the second half of next year. Space is available at the Everett factory because Boeing is shifting production of the larger 787 to South Carolina and ending production of the iconic 747.

The plant is about 40 miles north of Boeing’s other 737 assembly lines in the Seattle suburb of Renton. One of the lines there has been idle, but is being reactivated, Deal said. The company is not relocating the entire 737 program, just adding capacity, especially for newer models of the Max.

The Max is Boeing’s best-selling plane. It was grounded worldwide for nearly two years after two deadly crashes involving a flight-control system that Boeing later overhauled. Since U.S. and other regulators cleared the Max to resume flying, Boeing has landed large orders from United, Delta, Southwest, and foreign airlines.