FAA clears Boeing's 230-seat 737 MAX 10 after years of delays

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy handed the certificates to Boeing at a small ceremony in Everett, Washington. "This is a major win for American manufacturing and our nation's status as a global aviation powerhouse," Duffy said in the FAA's release. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency "will continue to hold Boeing to the highest safety standards" as production begins.

Safety changes: Before signing off, the FAA required the MAX 10 to meet the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, passed after two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people, and to follow NTSB recommendations. That includes an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor system for the flight controls. Boeing says that system will become standard across the 737 MAX family, and Reuters reported it will be added to planes already flying in the coming years. Boeing said testing logged nearly 1,000 flights and more than 2,000 flight hours.

The software glitch: In late September, Boeing disclosed a navigation-software problem that can drop automated vertical guidance after a missed approach, which US Brief covered at the time. The FAA determined it was not a safety concern and did not require a fix as a condition of certification, Reuters reported.

Who gets them: Boeing counts 1,555 MAX 10 orders from more than 30 customers, and IBA estimates the model is 31% of Boeing's unfilled 737 backlog. United had 167 firm MAX 10 commitments as of June 30, and CEO Scott Kirby said the first will arrive next year. Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said on Wednesday that Alaska expects 22 MAX 10s next year, starting late in the first quarter. Delta, which ordered 100 in 2022, and American also have orders, Business Travel News reported.

Timeline: The first MAX 10 was rolled out in November 2019. The worldwide MAX grounding after the 2018 and 2019 crashes, a 2023 engine anti-ice problem, and scrutiny after a January 2024 cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 all slowed it; the September 2026 software glitch threatened another delay. The FAA approved the smaller MAX 7 in August 2026 and the MAX 10 on Oct. 20, 2026.

What's still unknown: How fast Boeing can ramp up deliveries, whether the unfixed navigation-software issue affects any airline's acceptance of the planes, and when the new angle-of-attack system reaches the existing MAX fleet. Boeing's largest jet, the 777-9, is still not certified; Boeing expects that in 2027.

Hero photo shows the first 737 MAX 10 at its November 2019 roll-out (file photo), not Tuesday's certification. Seat count, range and order figures are Boeing's. The 31% backlog share is from aviation analytics firm IBA via Reuters. Airline delivery timing comes from executives' comments on Oct. 21 earnings calls and Boeing customer plans, and could change.