The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified the Boeing 737 MAX 7 on Monday, August 3, 2026, ending years of delays for the smallest model in the MAX family. The approval allows Boeing to begin delivering the aircraft to customers, including Southwest Airlines, after resolving complex technical and safety issues.
The certification comes after nearly a decade of setbacks. The process was slowed by intense regulatory scrutiny following the fatal crashes of the MAX 8 in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people, as well as a January 2024 mid-air cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9. To secure this approval, the FAA required key improvements to the aircraft, including updates to the flight-control software, the flightcrew alerting system, and a redesigned engine anti-ice system intended to prevent the engine from overheating.
“reflects years of sustained work to resolve complex technical issues and complete a thorough review of the airplane’s design and supporting safety analyses.”
FAA, via CNBC
Financial Stakes and the 737 MAX 10 Backlog
This certification is a critical liquidity event for Boeing. Because aircraft manufacturers receive the bulk of a plane’s price upon delivery, the approval helps Boeing bring in much-needed cash. Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu noted in a note Sunday that Boeing already has about 40 of the MAX 7 and MAX 10 models built and sitting in inventory. Aviation analytics firm Cirium specifically reported that Boeing has built about 30 MAX 7s and nine MAX 10s awaiting delivery.
While the MAX 7 is now cleared, the larger MAX 10 remains in the pipeline. The stakes for the MAX 10 are significantly higher; it represents more than a quarter of Boeing’s outstanding MAX backlog. According to Reuters reporting, the MAX 10 accounts for at least 28% of those outstanding orders.
Boeing stock rose more than 5% in afternoon trading Monday following the announcement. The company had previously stated it expected the plane to be approved before the end of 2022, while some carriers expected to start flying the MAX 10 in 2020.
Delivery Timelines for Southwest and United Airlines
The MAX 7 and MAX 10 serve opposite ends of the single-aisle market. Southwest Airlines is a customer that expected to fly the plane before the pandemic. In a statement, Southwest said the certification is an important step toward continuing to modernize our all-Boeing 737 fleet with upgraded interiors and more fuel-efficient aircraft to fit our Customers' preferences and demand patterns.
For the MAX 10, Boeing has conducted testing with aircraft donning United Airlines livery. Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed during a second-quarter earnings call that certification work on both aircraft is now entering its final stages. On 737-10, we recently completed our final test flight and expect certification following the 737-7,
Ortberg said. These certifications pave the way for both aeroplane variants to start deliveries in 2027.
Ortberg added that these aircraft will expand the MAX family’s market coverage and offer customers greater capability and efficiency.
On July 28, Boeing announced that the 737 MAX 10 completed its final planned certification flight, departing from and returning to King County International Airport at Boeing Field in Seattle. During this flight, engineers checked the cabin public address system and the audibility of the lavatory smoke detector to confirm flight crews can respond quickly to emergency safety alerts. Dan Mangel, the Boeing pilot who flew the final test, stated, I did the first flight of this particular aeroplane four years ago, and this is the final certification test flight of the Boeing inventory for this aeroplane.
According to Boeing, the MAX 10 certification programme has now completed 100% of planned certification flight testing, involving more than 2,000 flight test hours and nearly 1,000 certification flights, as well as Development Assurance Review (DAR) 3. Development Assurance Review 4 and remaining system safety assessments continue ahead of FAA approval.
FAA Oversight and Production Recovery
The path to certification has been fundamentally different than it was prior to 2019. Boeing faced a deadline set by Congress in 2022 to win certification for the two variants before a new safety standard on cockpit alerts took effect, though Congress ultimately agreed to waive that requirement.
Boeing is attempting to rebuild its relationship with the regulator. In mid-July, the FAA stated it could once again issue airworthiness certificates for the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliners, a privilege the agency had stripped after the MAX 8 crashes. To support this recovery, Boeing opened a new production line for 737 MAX airplanes in Everett, Washington, in July. The manufacturer continues to work on ramping up production of 737 Maxes and 787 Dreamliners, as customers pay the bulk of the aircraft’s price upon delivery.
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