The Boeing 737 MAX 10 has been certified

On Tuesday, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted final approval for the operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 10, certifying the largest variant in the popular family of narrow-body airliners. According to a statement from the Department of Transport, the certificate confirms that the aircraft fully complies with all applicable design and safety requirements. This decision, following the certification of the 737 MAX 7 in August, will enable Boeing to increase its delivery volumes in the coming years, which is a key element of its plan to improve its financial performance following a prolonged period of instability.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the agency’s decision was the result of a thorough review of the aircraft’s design and safety requirements. According to Boeing, as part of the preparations for certification – with deliveries expected to begin in 2027 – more than 2,000 hours of flight testing were carried out and tens of thousands of pages of technical documentation were submitted.

The certification process for the model, which was first unveiled at the Paris Air Show in 2017, was plagued by significant delays. Boeing had originally planned to begin deliveries in 2020, however, following two crashes involving MAX-series aircraft in 2018 and 2019, which claimed 346 lives, US regulatory authorities significantly tightened their oversight of the aircraft’s design. Further delays were caused by an incident in January 2024, when a fuselage panel detached during an Alaska Airlines flight.

Following the announcement of the certification, US Transport Minister Sean Duffy noted in an interview with CNBC the need to improve the efficiency of the aircraft certification process in the country. According to him, European regulators complete similar tasks twice as quickly. Sean Duffy emphasised that safety remains a priority, but that the certification process must be accelerated to maintain US competitiveness in the global market.

The MAX 10 model can carry up to 230 passengers, whilst the MAX 7 has a capacity of 172 seats. In September, Boeing’s Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg announced the company’s plans to increase production of the 737 MAX to 52 aircraft per month by 2027, up from the current authorised level of 47. The company’s engineering and technical workers’ union (SPEEA) approved a new contract on 1 October, thereby averting the threat of a strike. Following the news of certification, Boeing shares closed 0.5 per cent lower.