WASHINGTON: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to announce on Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the Boeing 737 MAX 10 during a visit to Washington state, sources briefed on the plans told Reuters.
Duffy is set to appear at a Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, to announce the FAA certification of the long-delayed larger variant of Boeing's best-selling aircraft.
Boeing opened a new production line at the Everett plant in July to expand 737 MAX production. The aircraft is also assembled in Renton.
Boeing referred questions to the FAA, which did not immediately comment.
The FAA conducted a review by its Type Certification Board on Friday. The board comprises FAA management team members and its review is a final step before the agency decides on certification.
Airlines have ordered nearly 1,500 MAX 10s, and the model accounts for about 30 per cent of Boeing's outstanding 737 backlog. The planemaker has already built a handful of MAX 10s awaiting delivery.
The larger aircraft, which can carry more passengers, is crucial to several airlines' growth plans. Major customers for the MAX 10 include United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Ryanair, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.
Boeing has faced a more stringent certification process since two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, as well as scrutiny of its production and quality systems following a mid-air cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 in January 2024.
Duffy met the chief executives of major aerospace companies, including Boeing, RTX, Honeywell, GE Aerospace, Textron and Gulfstream, in Georgia last week to discuss how the certification process could be improved.
The FAA gave long-awaited approval to the smaller 737 MAX 7 in August after reviewing the aircraft for more than eight years. Before the delays, Boeing had initially planned to begin delivering the MAX 10 in 2020.
A problem with the anti-ice system on 737 MAX engines that emerged in 2023 further delayed certification of the MAX 7 and MAX 10.
A glitch in the latest update to the 737 MAX's navigation software threatened to delay certification further when Boeing disclosed it in late September.
However, the FAA determined that it did not pose a safety concern and did not require Boeing to fix the problem as a condition of certifying the aircraft.
Boeing is still working to certify the 777-9, its largest jetliner in production, which is already six years behind schedule. The company has said it expects to complete certification and begin deliveries in 2027.
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