The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that a panel of experts determined a software glitch in some Boeing 737 MAX flight computers does not pose a safety concern, clearing the way for certification of the MAX 10 — the longest and final variant of Boeing's best-selling narrowbody.
The determination, made Friday by the FAA's internal Corrective Action Review Board, rested on the finding that "pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous." The agency added it would "consider appropriate action" if new information about the issue surfaces.
The glitch emerged from a routine cockpit software update — versions 14 and 14.1 of the operating system for the MAX's flight management computer. When flight crews alter their planned flight path after a missed approach, the vertical navigation system, VNAV, can disengage. In a certain scenario, pilots may have to fly manually without some autopilot functions, raising concerns among some industry officials about pilot workload during landing.
Boeing says autopilot keeps working even if VNAV disengages and all pilots are trained to land without VNAV. The company will issue a bulletin to airlines explaining how to recognize and respond to the problem in flight; the FAA will publish a special airworthiness information bulletin drawing attention to Boeing's bulletin for U.S. carriers and foreign regulators.
On Monday, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced at Reagan Washington National Airport that the agency would delay MAX 10 certification until the issue was resolved. Boeing shares closed down 6.9 percent that day. The MAX 10 is the centerpiece of Boeing's effort to claw back single-aisle market share from Airbus; CEO Kelly Ortberg had told a Wall Street conference on September 16 that certification was expected "very soon."
The timeline is revealing: an airline first flagged the issue to Boeing in November 2024, and the company concluded in February 2025 it was not a safety issue. Only after receiving "additional information from operators" this year did Boeing launch a formal safety review board, whose findings went to the FAA this month. Southwest and United have told Boeing they will not accept new aircraft with the affected operating system, opting for a previous version instead; Alaska, American, Allegiant, Southwest, and United all told CBS News none of their in-service MAX fleets use it.
For Boeing, the ruling restarts the clock on the MAX 10's path to carrying passengers — the smaller MAX 7, which uses the same software, was certified earlier this year. For Alaska Airlines, a launch customer that had expected approval around the end of September, the wait may soon be over. For GE Aerospace, which developed the software rather than Boeing, the FAA's verdict is the best possible news.
Boeing says the permanent software fix will not be ready until 2028, with updated pilot guidance coming in November. That means pilots will be flying with knowledge of the quirk for more than two years. What the FAA cleared on Friday was the certification — the software itself still has some flying to do.