The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Boeing an amended type certificate for the 737 MAX 7, clearing the smallest member of the MAX family for commercial service after a prolonged certification campaign. Boeing, based in Seattle, said the approval opens the way for first deliveries and production of the aircraft, while the FAA said the jet now meets the required design and safety standards.
The decision follows almost a decade of review after the MAX crisis led to much tighter scrutiny of Boeing’s single-aisle programme. The certification package covered changes to flight-control software, the flightcrew alerting system and a redesigned engine anti-ice system, alongside extensive testing and safety analysis. The FAA also updated Boeing Production Certificate No. 700 to include the 737-7, formally authorising manufacture of the type.
For Boeing, the clearance removes a long-standing constraint on a key narrowbody variant and adds another certified model to its MAX line-up. Reuters reported that Southwest Airlines is the main expected customer for the type, while industry attention now turns to the larger 737 MAX 10, which remains under certification review.