FAA certifies Boeing's 737 MAX 10, clearing way for deliveries

EVERETT, Washington/WASHINGTON: The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday granted final approval to the long-delayed Boeing 737 MAX 10, clearing the way for the US planemaker to begin delivering the largest version of its best-selling aircraft.

Boeing has said the MAX 10 will be a major driver of cash flow in its ongoing financial recovery, following years of crises and controversies that delayed the programme.

Airlines have ordered more than 1,550 MAX 10s, and the model accounts for 31 per cent of Boeing's outstanding 737 backlog, according to aviation analytics consultancy IBA.

The plane is critical to Boeing's fight with Airbus for orders in the lucrative single-aisle jetliner market, with China's COMAC C919 a distant third.

"We want to beat the Europeans, we want to beat the Chinese," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday at Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, to highlight the FAA certification.

"But if we want to continue to do that, I have to allow you all to certify aircraft faster," Duffy said, referring to his promise to streamline aircraft certification.

Boeing has been trying to certify the 737 MAX 10 since the early 2020s.

In July, the company opened a new production line at the Everett plant to increase 737 output. It also assembles the aircraft in nearby Renton.

Stephanie Pope, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said deliveries would begin in the coming months, adding that the MAX 10 "offers greater capacity, longer range and the best seat economics in its class".

The largest MAX 10 can hold up to 230 passengers, compared with up to 195 for the MAX 9 and 160 for the MAX 7.

However, the delays have helped European rival Airbus' A321neo secure a greater share of the large single-aisle market.

The bigger, higher-capacity plane is crucial to several airlines' growth plans. Major customers for the MAX 10 include United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Ryanair, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.

The planemaker has already built a handful of MAX 10s awaiting delivery.

Boeing has faced a more stringent certification process since two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people.

Scrutiny of the company's production and quality systems also increased after a cabin panel blew out mid-flight on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 in January 2024.

The FAA approved the smaller 737 MAX 7 in August after a review that lasted more than eight years.

The regulator required the MAX 10 to include significant improvements, including updates to the flight control system with an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor.

Those changes will be applied to the existing fleet in the coming years.

A problem with the anti-ice system on 737 MAX engines that emerged in 2023 further delayed certification of the MAX 7 and MAX 10.

Boeing disclosed another glitch in late September involving the latest update to the 737 MAX's navigation software, which threatened to further delay certification.

However, the FAA determined that it did not pose a safety concern and did not require Boeing to fix the problem as a condition of certifying the plane.

Boeing is still working to certify the 777-9, its largest jetliner in production, which is six years behind schedule. The company has said it expects to complete certification and begin deliveries in 2027.