Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is due to announce Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the Boeing $BA 737 Max 10, according to Reuters. Duffy is set to be at Boeing's Everett, Washington, plant to highlight certification of the bigger 737 Max model, which has been held up for years, according to Reuters.
The FAA convened its Type Certification Board for a review last Friday, the last stage before the agency makes its certification decision, according to Reuters. The board consists of members of the FAA's management team. Boeing referred questions to the FAA, according to Reuters.
Airlines have placed orders for close to 1,500 Max 10s, a model that represents close to 30% of the unfilled 737 orders Boeing is carrying, according to Reuters. Boeing has already assembled a few Max 10s that are waiting to be delivered. Major customers include United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Ryanair, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, according to Reuters.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in September that the Max 10 would be certified "very soon". Ortberg also said 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.
The FAA determined that a software glitch affecting certain 737 Max flight computers is not a safety concern, clearing the path to certification. Boeing disclosed the glitch in late September, according to Reuters. Certification of the plane was not made contingent on Boeing correcting the problem, according to Reuters.
The FAA issued an amended type certificate for the Max 7 in August. That approval followed a review of more than eight years, according to Reuters.
Boeing originally intended to get Max 10 deliveries going in 2020, according to Reuters. Certification of the Max 7 and Max 10 was pushed back further by an anti-ice system issue affecting 737 Max engines that surfaced in 2023, according to Reuters.
Since two deadly Max 8 crashes, one in 2018 and one in 2019, Boeing has had to clear a tougher certification process. Boeing has also come under scrutiny over its production and quality systems since a mid-air blowout of a cabin panel in January 2024 on a nearly new Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines, according to Reuters.
Duffy met last week in Georgia with CEOs from leading aerospace firms, including Boeing, RTX, Honeywell $HON, GE Aerospace, Textron $TXT and Gulfstream, to talk about ways to improve the certification process, according to Reuters.
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