Boeing's 737 MAX 10 nears FAA approval after the agency's final certification board meets

Boeing's long-delayed 737 MAX 10 has completed one of the last steps toward U.S. approval. An FAA management panel reviewed the jet on Oct. 16, and people familiar with the matter said the agency could certify it as soon as the week of Oct. 19, two weeks after it ruled that a software flaw that briefly stalled the process was not a safety concern.

Where the approval stands

A Federal Aviation Administration panel known as the Type Certification Board met on Friday, Oct. 16, to review Boeing's 737 MAX 10, according to Reuters and the aviation news site The Air Current, each citing three people familiar with the matter. The board, made up of FAA managers, is one of the last formal steps before the agency decides whether to certify a new aircraft. Reuters reported that the FAA is set to approve the plane as soon as the week of Oct. 19.

The FAA has not announced a decision. Asked about timing, the agency said, "Safety dictates the certification timeline." Boeing referred questions to the FAA.

The aviation site reported that the meeting was successful and that Boeing is next expected to file a project statement of completion with the FAA, after which the type certificate can be signed. The smaller MAX 7 went through the same sequence this summer: its board met on a Friday, and its certificate was signed the following week, on Aug. 3.

Why the MAX 10 was held up

In late September the FAA put the MAX 10 approval on hold while it reviewed a flaw that Boeing had disclosed in the newest versions of the 737 MAX flight-management software. The flaw can switch off part of the automated navigation if pilots change a preprogrammed flight path after aborting a landing, which leaves the crew with extra steps on the next approach.

On Oct. 2, a panel of FAA safety experts ruled that the flaw was not a safety concern. "The FAA's Corrective Action Review Board made that determination because pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous," the agency said. The FAA said it would send airlines a bulletin on how to recognize and respond to the problem, and it did not make a software fix a condition of certifying the MAX 10.

That pause came on top of years of delay. Boeing once planned to start delivering the MAX 10 in 2020. Certification became more demanding after two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, Boeing's production faced fresh scrutiny after a door-plug panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 in January 2024, and an engine anti-ice problem found in 2023 held up both the MAX 7 and the MAX 10. The FAA approved the MAX 7 in August after reviewing it for more than eight years.

What is at stake for Boeing

The MAX 10 is the largest member of the 737 MAX family. Airlines have ordered about 1,500 of them, roughly 30% of Boeing's unfilled 737 orders, and United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Ryanair, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are among its major customers. Boeing has already built some MAX 10s that cannot be delivered until the plane is certified.

Boeing has said the MAX 10 will be a major source of cash as it recovers from years of safety and production problems. The wait has also helped Airbus, whose competing A321neo has won a larger share of the market for big single-aisle jets.

Boeing shares closed at $190.21 on Friday, up 0.8% on the day, compared with $184.39 on Sept. 28, when the stock fell 6.9% on the day the certification pause was reported.

What comes next

For the MAX 10, the remaining steps are Boeing's completion filing and the signing of the type certificate. Boeing is still working on a permanent fix for the software flaw, and the FAA has said it will consider further action if it receives new information about the issue.

The MAX 10 would not end Boeing's certification work. Its largest jet in production, the 777-9, is still awaiting approval about six years behind schedule, and Boeing has said it expects to complete that certification and begin deliveries in 2027.