FAA Certifies Boeing's 737 MAX 10 After Years of Delays

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday certified Boeing's 737 MAX 10, the largest model in the 737 MAX family, clearing the way for the company to begin delivering the jet to airlines after years of manufacturing and regulatory setbacks.

The agency issued an amended type certificate, which confirms that the aircraft meets applicable design and safety requirements, and an updated Production Limitation Record, which authorizes Boeing to produce it, according to the FAA. With production approved, the jet can be delivered to domestic and foreign carriers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the decision during a visit to Boeing's facilities in Everett, Washington. "After extensive safety reviews – including thousands of hours of test flights – the team at the FAA is ready to approve this critical aircraft for sale," Duffy said in a statement. "This is a major win for American manufacturing and our nation's status as a global aviation powerhouse."

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the decision "follows a thorough review of the aircraft's design and safety requirements," adding: "We will continue to hold Boeing to the highest safety standards as the company begins production of the 737 MAX-10."

Safety changes required

Before granting approval, the FAA required the MAX 10 to incorporate improvements that address the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act and recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, including updates to the flight-control system with an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor, the agency said. Congress passed that law in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes.

The angle-of-attack sensor was at the center of those crashes, in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people, The Seattle Times reported. In both cases, an erroneous reading from the sensor triggered a then-new software system that repeatedly pushed the plane's nose down, and the pilots lost control.

Boeing said the 737-10 is the first commercial airplane certified to the full extent of the 2020 law, which mandated enhanced documentation of safety assessments and human factors evaluations. The company said its certification program included more than 2,000 flight hours, 1,000 ground test hours and nearly 1,000 total test flights. Boeing said the enhanced angle-of-attack system will become standard across the 737 MAX family.

The FAA required similar improvements before certifying the smaller MAX 7 in August, including a fix to that aircraft's engine anti-ice system, according to The Seattle Times. The MAX 10's certification was briefly in question last month while the FAA reviewed a software glitch that shuts off an automated navigation system in some circumstances. The regulator determined the glitch did not pose a safety risk and would not delay certification, the newspaper reported.

A pledge to move faster

At the Everett event, Duffy pledged to speed up the certification process, which took nearly a decade for the MAX 7 and MAX 10. "I have to allow you all to certify aircraft faster, we have to come to market more quickly and we can never lose sight of safety," he said, according to The Seattle Times.

Stephanie Pope, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the MAX 10 will "set a new standard in commercial aviation." "Today is a very, very special day," she said. "It caps years of hard work and dedication by many; it marks another major milestone in our recovery; and it unlocks the key to our future growth."

Orders and airlines

Boeing said more than 30 customers have ordered the 737-10, with orders totaling 1,555 airplanes, more than 30 percent of the 737 MAX program's current order book. Aviation Week reported that the model accounts for nearly a quarter of Boeing's overall backlog.

Alaska Airlines ordered 105 MAX 10s in January, with options for 35 more, the largest order in the carrier's history, according to The Seattle Times. Alaska expects its first delivery in the second quarter of 2027. "Certification of the MAX 10 has been a rigorous, deliberate process, and we respect the work the FAA and Boeing have put into it," Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement.

The aircraft

The MAX 10 can carry up to 230 passengers in its maximum configuration, more than any other MAX model, with typical seating of 185 to 210, and has a range of up to 3,100 nautical miles, The Seattle Times reported. Boeing said the jet offers the lowest per-seat costs of any single-aisle airplane in service.

Boeing will assemble the MAX 10 in Renton and on its newest MAX assembly line in Everett. Aviation Week reported that the Everett line will help the company raise 737 production beyond 47 aircraft per month.

What comes next

Approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is next and is expected in the coming months under U.S.-EU aviation safety agreements, according to Aviation Week. Boeing said it expects to begin delivering the airplane in the coming months.

Chris Payne, Boeing's vice president and general manager for 737 development programs, told The Seattle Times that the MAX 10 will be the last derivative of the 737. Boeing is still working to certify its 777X family, which includes two passenger models and a freighter.