FAA Certifies Boeing's Biggest 737, Ending a Five-Year Wait
The Federal Aviation Administration issued an amended type certificate for the Boeing 737-10 on Tuesday, October 20, clearing the largest member of the 737 MAX family for delivery. Boeing announced that handovers to airlines will begin in the coming months, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy appearing at the company's Everett plant to mark the decision.
According to Boeing, the 737-10 is the first commercial airplane certified to the full extent of the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, which demands expanded documentation of safety assessments and human-factors evaluations. The bar was set higher than for any previous 737.
The aircraft first flew on June 18, 2021, when Boeing was aiming for service entry in 2023. The certification campaign ultimately spanned 976 flights and more than 2,060 flight hours, plus 1,000 hours of ground testing. The last major procedural step was a Type Certification Board meeting between Boeing and the FAA on October 16, which concluded successfully.
In September, the FAA reviewed a software issue that shuts off an automated navigation system in certain circumstances, briefly putting certification in doubt. The regulator quickly determined the glitch posed no safety concern requiring correction before approval, and the process resumed. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford had said certification would wait until that assessment was complete.
The approval completes certification of the four main MAX variants: the 737-8 and 737-9 were certified in 2017 and 2018, and the 737-7 earned its certificate this August. Progress on both the MAX 10 and the MAX 7 slowed after the fatal MAX accidents of 2018 and 2019, as regulators mandated changes including an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor system.
Boeing launched the MAX 10 at the 2017 Paris Air Show as its answer to the Airbus A321neo at the upper end of the single-aisle market. The jet seats up to 230 passengers, typically 185 to 210 in two classes, and flies up to 3,100 nautical miles. Boeing claims the lowest per-seat operating costs of any single-aisle airplane, with about 20 percent lower fuel use and emissions. The A321neo, in service since 2017, can be configured for up to 244 seats and flies farther without refueling.
More than 30 customers have ordered 1,555 MAX 10s, accounting for over 30 percent of Boeing's outstanding 737 backlog, according to NPR, with analytics firm IBA putting the share at 31 percent. Major buyers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair; Alaska Airlines added 105 firm orders plus 35 options in January. Delta's 100-jet order, with 30 options, is planned around a 182-seat layout with 20 first-class seats. Reuters notes Boeing views the model as a major driver of cash flow in its financial recovery.
Boeing opened a new 737 production line in Everett in July to lift output alongside its Renton plant. The company says deliveries start in the coming months, while NPR reports it expects to begin in 2027. Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Stephanie Pope said the jet offers greater capacity, longer range and the best seat economics in its class. Work continues on the 777-9 widebody, running about six years behind schedule.