The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has certified Boeing’s 737-10, the largest member of the 737 MAX family, clearing the way for production and customer deliveries. The approval was issued on 20 October at Boeing’s Everett, Washington, facility, where Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA officials marked the milestone. Boeing expects deliveries to begin in the coming months.
The FAA issued an amended type certificate confirming compliance with applicable design and safety requirements, together with an updated Production Limitation Record authorising production. The agency required safety-related changes, including an enhanced angle-of-attack system and other improvements addressing the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act and National Transportation Safety Board recommendations.
The 737-10 is the first commercial aircraft certified to the full extent of the 2020 act, which requires enhanced documentation of safety assessments and human-factors evaluations. Its certification campaign involved 976 test flights, more than 2,060 flight hours and approximately 1,040 hours of ground testing.
The aircraft typically accommodates 185 to 210 passengers in a two-class configuration, or up to 230 passengers in a maximum-density layout, with a range of up to 3,100 nautical miles. It completes certification of the principal 737 MAX variants after the smaller 737-7 received approval in August. Boeing identifies the 737-10 as representing more than 30% of the MAX programme’s current order book, while WestJet is expected to become the launch customer in early 2027.