Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will declare Tuesday afternoon that the Federal Aviation Administration has signed off on Boeing $BA's 737 Max 10 to start carrying passengers, according to The Associated Press. The news agency cited a Transportation Department official who lacked permission to discuss the decision before it was made official. Duffy will make the announcement while touring Boeing's facility in Everett, Washington.
The Max 10 seats up to 230 passengers and is the largest version of the 737 family, according to The Associated Press. Boeing introduced it at the 2017 Paris air show to compete with Airbus. Engineering and regulatory obstacles have pushed certification back again and again, and Boeing now anticipates its first deliveries in 2027, according to The Associated Press.
Certification signals that, after engineering reviews and flight testing, the FAA has concluded the design satisfies its safety requirements, according to The Associated Press. Boeing also has to demonstrate that it can manufacture the jet to match the approved design, and every individual airplane needs clearance before passenger flights begin.
The FAA convened its Type Certification Board for a review on Oct. 16, the last stage before the agency makes its decision. The board consists of members of the FAA's management team. Boeing referred questions to the FAA.
The FAA determined on Oct. 2 that a software glitch affecting certain 737 Max flight computers is not a safety concern, clearing the path to certification. The issue arises during a go-around, when crews modify a preprogrammed route after a missed approach. Certification was not made contingent on Boeing correcting the problem.
Airlines have ordered close to 1,500 Max 10s, which represent close to 30% of Boeing's unfilled 737 orders. Boeing has assembled a few of the jets that are waiting for delivery. Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Ryanair and Alaska Airlines. Alaska placed an order for 105 Max 10s in January and holds the right to buy another 35, according to The Associated Press.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in September that Boeing needs certification for an additional 737 line in Everett to reach production of 52 jets per month next year. That facility is focused on the Max 10. Ortberg said the longer jet is too long to be lined up nose to tail along the Renton, Washington, production line, yet there is room for it in Everett, according to The Associated Press.
The FAA issued an amended type certificate for the smaller Max 7 in August. Approval of the Max 10 would round out the four-model 737 Max family that Boeing has been developing, according to The Associated Press.
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