FAA certifies Boeing's 737 MAX 10 after years of delay

What happened

The Federal Aviation Administration certified Boeing's 737 MAX 10, the largest model of the 737 MAX family, on Tuesday 20 October at a ceremony in Everett, Washington. ^{[1, 3]}

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy handed Boeing an amended type certificate, the FAA's finding that the design meets all applicable design and safety requirements, and an updated record authorizing production. The FAA first required changes that a 2020 safety law and the National Transportation Safety Board called for, including an enhanced angle of attack sensor, which measures the wing's angle to the air. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency will 'continue to hold Boeing to the highest safety standards' as production begins. ^{[1, 2, 3]}

Why it matters

Boeing counts 1,555 orders for the MAX 10 from more than 30 customers, more than 30 percent of all 737 MAX orders not yet delivered, and the approval lets deliveries begin. It also starts the clock in a 2022 law: after one year, new 737 MAX jets need these safety fixes, and after three years no 737 MAX may fly under U.S. rules without them. The law puts the cost of those fixes on the holder of the type certificate, Boeing. ^{[1, 2, 3, 4]}

Why it took so long

Boeing first planned to deliver the MAX 10 in 2020. Two fatal MAX 8 crashes, in 2018 and 2019, brought a stricter certification process, and a problem with the engines' anti-ice system that arose in 2023 added delay, Reuters reported. The smaller MAX 7 won its approval in August. ^{[3, 5, 7]}

After Boeing disclosed a glitch in the newest 737 MAX navigation software in late September, the FAA delayed the approval to study it. On Friday 2 October an FAA review board found it posed no safety concern because 'pilots retain full control of the aircraft,' Reuters reported. Accounts differ: Reuters reported that WestJet flagged the glitch to Boeing nearly two years before senior FAA officials learned of it in August, and Aerospace Global News that the FAA discovered it. ^{[6, 7, 8]}

Duffy told CNBC that certifying a plane in Europe takes Boeing less than half the time it takes in the United States. 'We have to certify aircraft more quickly if we're going to compete as Americans,' he said. ^[5]

What settles it next

Boeing said the certificate clears the way to begin deliveries 'in the coming months.' WestJet expects to take the MAX 10 early in 2027, Reuters reported on Friday 2 October. ^{[2, 6]}

By the desk's arithmetic from the certificate's date, the deadline for new jets falls on Wednesday 20 October 2027 and the one for every 737 MAX in service on Saturday 20 October 2029. The fixes the law names are an enhanced angle of attack system and a means to shut off stall warnings and overspeed alerts. ^{[1, 4]}

Who it reaches

Boeing (BA) is direct: the certificate clears its largest MAX for delivery, and the 2022 law puts the cost of the fleet's fixes on it. United Airlines (UAL) is adjacent: it holds the largest commitment for the MAX 10, 167 firm orders, Aerospace Global News reported. ^{[2, 4, 8]}

Alaska Air Group (ALK) is adjacent: Reuters and CNBC both name Alaska Airlines among the MAX 10's customers. Delta Air Lines (DAL) and American Airlines (AAL) are adjacent: both reports name them as customers too. Ryanair (RYAAY) is adjacent: Reuters names it among the MAX 10's major customers. ^{[5, 7]}