FAA Clears Boeing 737 Max 10 After Long Delay

The Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s 737 Max 10 for passenger service Tuesday, ending years of delays and clearing the way for Boeing to sell the jet to domestic and foreign carriers. The company expects deliveries to begin in 2027.

For a company that’s spent years rebuilding its reputation and balance sheet, certification marks a hard-won milestone. It’s also a reminder of how costly regulatory and engineering setbacks can be for an American manufacturing icon.

A Decade in the Making

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. At Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, on Tuesday, he acknowledged how long the process had taken. “To think that it took us almost 10 years to get here,” Duffy said. “We all probably had a little less gray hair 10 years ago.”

Boeing unveiled the single-aisle jet at the Paris Air Show in 2017 to compete with Airbus. Technical and regulatory hurdles repeatedly delayed certification. Nine years have passed since the debut.

Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said 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.”

What's at Stake for Customers and the Market

The commercial stakes are large. More than 30 customers worldwide have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that Boeing has yet to deliver. That represents more than 30% of the company’s total 737 Max backlog. United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair are among the major customers. Alaska Airlines joined the list in January, ordering 105 Max 10s, plus options for 35 more.

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. More seats per flight could lower airlines’ costs per seat. Whether travelers see lower fares depends on how carriers deploy the planes and how much competition they face.

Timing matters for airline finances. Boeing designed the aircraft to carry more passengers while burning less fuel than older jets, a combination that may appeal to carriers facing soaring jet fuel costs amid the U.S. war with Iran. Those costs have added pressure on airlines to control expenses.

The Max 10 is meant to compete with Airbus’ A321neo family, which entered service in 2017. The largest A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refueling than the Max 10. Boeing enters the contest nine years behind its European rival’s entry into service.

Safety Record and Regulatory Reset

The approval comes against a difficult backdrop. Two deadly crashes involving the smaller Max 8 killed 346 people off Indonesia and in Ethiopia, in 2018 and 2019. In 2024, a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9 in midair, renewing scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and safety practices.

After the fatal Max 8 crashes, the FAA overhauled how it certifies Boeing aircraft. During the 18 months before the report, the agency gradually eased some restrictions on Boeing, raising the limit on how many planes the company 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 company take back some responsibility for deciding whether finished aircraft are ready to fly.

Certification doesn’t end oversight. 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 company must clear each plane before it carries passengers.

The approval completes the lineup of four 737 Max models. The FAA cleared the Max 7 for airline operations in August. Pope described certification of both the Max 7 and Max 10 in the same year as a sign of Boeing’s resilience.

Why This Matters:

A nearly decade-long path to certification is a steep price for any manufacturer, and Boeing’s backlog of 1,555 undelivered Max 10s shows how much commercial value waited on regulators. For airlines, a larger plane that burns less fuel offers a practical way to manage costs when fuel prices are climbing. For the broader economy, a healthier Boeing supports American manufacturing and its supply chain. The gradual return of some certification responsibility to Boeing suggests a measured approach: restore authority step by step as performance is demonstrated, rather than lurch between extremes. The test now moves from the FAA’s desk to the factory floor, where consistent production quality will decide whether this recovery holds.