The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has certified Boeing’s 737-10 MAX, approving the amended type certificate and updated production authorisation for the largest member of the single-aisle family. The decision, delivered during a ceremony at Boeing’s Everett, Washington, facility, clears the way for commercial deliveries in the coming months, subject to individual aircraft conformity checks and passenger-service approval.
The certification completes approval of the four principal 737 MAX variants and gives Boeing a higher-capacity aircraft for competition with Airbus’s largest narrow-body models. The 737-10 can accommodate up to about 230 passengers in a maximum-density configuration, while more than 30 customers have ordered 1,555 aircraft that remain undelivered, representing more than 30% of the 737 MAX backlog.
The programme was originally scheduled to enter service in 2020 but faced extended regulatory scrutiny following the 2018 and 2019 737 MAX crashes, engineering changes and additional work on the engine anti-icing system. The FAA also required improvements under the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act and National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, including flight-control updates and an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor.
Boeing’s certification campaign involved nearly 1,000 test flights, more than 2,000 flight hours, around 1,000 hours of ground testing and extensive safety documentation and design reviews. The company expects deliveries to begin in 2027, although no firm first-delivery date has been established.