The Federal Aviation Administration has certified Boeing’s 737 MAX 7, clearing the smallest member of the 737 MAX family for commercial service after an extended safety review. Boeing said the amended type certificate and updated production limitation record remove a major regulatory hurdle for the long-delayed narrowbody programme and pave the way for first deliveries to Southwest Airlines.
The approval follows almost a decade of review and a multi-year test campaign that Boeing said included more than 1,000 hours of flight and ground testing. The FAA reviewed or carried out work on flight controls, system safety assessments, human factors and flightcrew alerting, and required further testing, design changes and analysis where needed.
Required fixes included software updates, changes to the flightcrew alerting system and a redesigned engine anti-ice system to prevent inlet overheating and possible structural weakening. FAA safety inspectors will remain on site at Boeing production facilities to monitor manufacturing, the safety management system and safety culture. The certification is Boeing’s first new aircraft approval since its MAX safety crises and comes after years of heightened regulatory scrutiny.