FAA Clears Boeing 737 Max 10 as Oversight Questions Linger

The Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s 737 Max 10 for passenger service Tuesday, ending years of delays and clearing the way for sales to domestic and foreign carriers. Boeing expects to begin deliveries in 2027. The decision comes in a year when the agency also cleared the smaller Max 7, after a stretch of regulatory loosening that regulators and the public will be watching closely.

The jet’s history is hard to separate from the company’s. Two deadly crashes involving the smaller Max 8 killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, off Indonesia and in Ethiopia. In 2024, a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9 in midair, renewing scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and safety practices. Two years after that incident, Boeing is celebrating another milestone.

What Regulators and Boeing Said

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the approval followed “extensive safety reviews,” including thousands of hours of test flights, and called it a major win for American manufacturing. Visiting Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, on Tuesday, he said: “To think that it took us almost 10 years to get here. We all probably had a little less gray hair 10 years ago.”

Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the certification “clears the path to deliver an airplane that will set a new standard in commercial aviation.” She added: “Today is a very, very special day. It caps years of hard work and dedication by many. It marks another major milestone in our recovery, and it unlocks a key to our future growth.” Pope also described certifying both the Max 7 and Max 10 in the same year as a sign of Boeing’s resilience.

Certification isn’t the finish line, though. It means the FAA determined the Max 10’s design meets safety standards after engineering reviews and flight testing. Boeing must still show it can consistently build the aircraft to the approved design, and the FAA must clear each plane before it carries passengers.

A Loosening Leash

After the fatal Max 8 crashes, the FAA overhauled how it certifies Boeing aircraft. But over the 18 months before the report, the agency gradually eased some restrictions on the company, raising the limit on how many planes Boeing could produce. In July, the FAA said Boeing could once again issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 Max and 787 planes at the end of production. That lets the manufacturer take back some responsibility for deciding whether finished aircraft are ready to fly.

That’s a notable shift. Boeing is regaining part of the job of vouching for the planes it builds.

What Airlines and Passengers Can Expect

Boeing says the Max 10 will typically seat 185-210 passengers, compared with 175-195 on the Max 9 and 160-180 on the Max 8. The larger aircraft could let airlines carry more people per flight and potentially lower costs per seat. It could eventually mean more seats on popular routes, though the effect on fares will depend on how airlines deploy the planes and how much competition they face.

Demand is already substantial. More than 30 customers worldwide have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that Boeing has yet to deliver, accounting for more than 30% of the company’s total 737 Max backlog. Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair. Alaska Airlines joined the list in January, ordering 105 Max 10s, with options for 35 more.

Boeing unveiled the single-aisle jet at the Paris Air Show in 2017 to compete with Airbus. The Max 10 is meant to challenge the Airbus A321neo family, which also entered service in 2017. The largest A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refueling than the Max 10. Boeing designed its jet to burn less fuel than older aircraft, a pitch that may land with airlines facing soaring jet fuel costs amid the U.S. war with Iran.

Why This Matters:

The Max 10’s approval is good news for Boeing workers, suppliers and customers who’ve waited years for the jet. But it lands in a debate that hasn’t been settled: how much of its own safety verification a manufacturer should be trusted to handle. The FAA overhauled certification after 346 people died, then eased several restrictions over the following months, including handing back airworthiness certification at the end of production. Passengers can’t see those decisions, yet they bear the risk if oversight proves too light. Lower costs per seat may benefit travelers, but fares depend on airline choices and competition, not on the aircraft alone. Public confidence will rest on how rigorously the FAA keeps checking Boeing’s work.