The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified Boeing’s 737 MAX 10, the largest aircraft in the 737 MAX family, following a testing program involving nearly 1,000 flights and more than 2,000 flight hours.
The approval clears the path for Boeing to begin delivering the 737-10 in the coming months. The aircraft can accommodate up to 230 passengers, making it the highest-capacity model in the company’s single-aisle 737 MAX lineup.
The certification follows extensive safety assessments, design reviews, and ground testing. Boeing said the program included 1,000 ground test hours, tens of thousands of pages of documentation and formal reviews with the FAA.
The 737-10 is also the first commercial aircraft certified under the full requirements of the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act. The law introduced stricter requirements for documenting aircraft safety assessments and evaluating how pilots interact with aircraft systems.
New safety requirements apply
What sets the aircraft apart is its enhanced angle-of-attack system, which Boeing plans to introduce across the 737 MAX family.
Angle of attack refers to the angle between an aircraft wing and the airflow approaching it. The measurement helps pilots and onboard systems assess flight conditions, including the risk of an aerodynamic stall.
Boeing says the upgraded system is designed to reduce pilot workload. Its introduction across the MAX family makes the 737-10 an important step in the company’s broader aircraft safety program.
“Our flight test team ran a disciplined, methodical campaign to validate every system,” said Chris Payne, vice president and general manager of 737 Airplane Development Programs at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Larger aircraft expands capacity
The 737-10 typically seats between 185 and 210 passengers in a two-class configuration, although its maximum seating capacity reaches 230.
The aircraft has a range of up to 3,100 nautical miles (5,740 kilometers). Boeing also claims it offers the lowest cost per seat among single-aisle aircraft currently in service, although that comparison was not independently established in the announcement.
According to Boeing, the aircraft offers 365 nautical miles more range than competing aircraft without auxiliary fuel tanks. The company also says technological improvements across the 737 MAX program reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, without specifying the comparison baseline in the announcement.
Airline interest in the largest MAX variant is substantial. Boeing reported 1,555 orders from more than 30 customers, representing over 30 percent of the program’s outstanding orders.
Across the broader 737 MAX family, customers have placed 7,350 orders, with nearly 2,500 aircraft delivered through September 2026. The FAA certified the smaller 737-7 earlier this year. With the 737-10 now approved, Boeing has secured certification for the final member of the MAX family.
However, certification does not mean the aircraft has entered commercial service. Boeing expects customer deliveries to begin in the coming months.