The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave on Tuesday its final nod to the long-delayed Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft, clearing the way for the U.S. planemaker to begin delivering the largest version of its bestselling airplane.
Boeing has said the Max 10 will be a major driver of cash flow in its ongoing financial recovery following years of crises and controversies that slowed the company's timeline for the Max 10.
So far, airlines have ordered more than 1,550 Max 10s, and the model accounts for 31% of Boeing's outstanding 737 backlog, according to IBA, an aviation analytics consultancy.
The plane is critical to Boeing's fight with Airbus for orders in the lucrative single-aisle jetliner market, with China's COMAC C919 in a distant third place.
"We want to beat the Europeans, we want to beat the Chinese," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday at Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, to tout the FAA certification.
"But if we want to continue to do that, I have to allow you all to certify aircraft faster," Duffy said, a nod to his promise to streamline airplane certification.
Boeing has been trying to certify the 737 Max 10 since the early 2020s.
Boeing shares closed down about 0.5%.
In July, the company opened a new production line at the Everett plant to increase 737 output, which it also assembles in nearby Renton.
Certification with Transport Canada and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) should be completed in "probably a couple of months," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Senior Vice President Mike Sinnett, who oversees development programs.
Boeing can then deliver the first 737 Max 10 to Canada-based airline WestJet, which is slated to happen early next year.
The largest Max 10 can hold up to 230 passengers, compared with up to 195 for the Max 9 and 160 for the Max 7.
However, the delays have helped European rival Airbus' A321neo secure a greater share of the large single-aisle market.
The bigger, higher-capacity plane 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.
The planemaker has already built a handful of Max 10s awaiting delivery.
Boeing has faced a more stringent certification process since two fatal Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. Scrutiny of the company's production and quality systems also increased after a January 2024 midair cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines Max 9.
The FAA in August approved the smaller 737 Max 7 after a review that lasted more than eight years.
The regulator required the Max 10 to include significant improvements, including updates to the flight control system with an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor. Those will be applied to the existing fleet in the coming years.
A problem with the anti-ice system on 737 Max engines that arose in 2023 further delayed certification of the Max 7 and 10.
Boeing disclosed another glitch in late September with the latest update of the 737 Max's navigation software, which threatened to further delay certification. However, the FAA determined it did not pose a safety concern and did not require Boeing to fix the problem as a condition of certifying the plane.
Some of the 737 Max certification team will now help Boeing get certification of the 777-9, its largest jetliner in production, which is six years behind schedule. The company has said it expects to complete certification and begin deliveries in 2027.
Despite the long slog to certify the last 737 Max variant, Boeing's Chris Payne, who oversaw the plane's certification program, struck an optimistic tone about speeding up the process.
"And what's great is, you know, the administration's working seamlessly with the FAA and with Boeing, and we're all having the right dialog and conversations to be able to say what (does) the future look like and what (does) it need to look like," he said.
