The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has certified Boeing’s 737-7, clearing the smallest member of the 737 MAX family for commercial service and first deliveries. The amended type certificate, issued from Seattle, also updates Boeing’s production authorisation for the model and ends a certification campaign that had stretched on for years.
The approval is a key step for Boeing’s MAX programme because the 737-7 serves the lower-capacity end of the market and is closely watched by airlines awaiting the aircraft. Boeing completed more than 1,000 hours of flight and ground testing for the model, while the FAA reviewed system safety work, human factors assessments and changes including an updated engine anti-ice system.
The agency said the certification followed an extended review that reflected post-crisis changes to aircraft oversight and design requirements after the two fatal 737 MAX accidents in 2018 and 2019. Boeing now has the regulatory basis to begin deliveries of the first aircraft, although no public handover date has been confirmed.