Boeing Wins FAA Clearance as Airlines Seek Lower Costs

The Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s 737 Max 10 for passenger service Tuesday, clearing the way for Boeing to sell the aircraft to domestic and foreign carriers and for airlines to add seats on each flight. Boeing expects deliveries to begin in 2027. The certification advances the company’s effort to restore its reputation and financial footing after safety, quality and production challenges.

Who Gains Capacity

Boeing says the Max 10 will typically seat 185 to 210 passengers, compared with 175 to 195 on the Max 9 and 160 to 180 on the Max 8. Airlines could carry more passengers per flight, and the extra seats may lower costs per seat. The effect on fares isn’t clear; it will depend on how airlines deploy the planes and the level of competition.

More than 30 customers worldwide have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that Boeing has yet to deliver. Those orders account for more than 30% of Boeing’s total 737 Max backlog. Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair. Alaska Airlines ordered 105 Max 10s in January, with options for 35 more.

The aircraft is designed 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 says its aircraft can carry more passengers while burning less fuel than older planes, a combination that may appeal to airlines facing soaring jet fuel costs amid the U.S. war with Iran.

Boeing unveiled the single-aisle Max 10 at the Paris Air Show in 2017. Technical and regulatory hurdles repeatedly delayed certification. Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the approval “clears the path to deliver an airplane that will set a new standard in commercial aviation.” She called it “another major milestone in our recovery” and said it “unlocks a key to our future growth.”

The FAA’s Role

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the approval followed “extensive safety reviews,” including thousands of hours of test flights. During a Tuesday visit to Boeing’s manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington, he called the approval “a major win for American manufacturing.” Duffy also 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.”

Certification means the FAA determined that the Max 10’s design meets safety standards after engineering reviews and flight testing. It doesn’t yet authorize every finished aircraft to carry passengers. Boeing must show it can consistently build the plane to the approved design, and the FAA must clear each aircraft before passengers can board.

Safety Oversight and Production

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

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

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. The Max 10 approval completes the lineup of four 737 Max models. Production consistency and individual aircraft clearance remain requirements before passengers board.