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FAA approves Boeing 737 MAX 10, opening path to production in Renton and Everett
Federal regulators have certified Boeing’s largest 737 MAX model after requiring safety changes tied to lessons from two fatal crashes. The plane will be assembled in Renton and at Boeing’s Everett facility, and has nearly 1,500 orders.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday certified Boeing’s 737 MAX 10, allowing the company to begin producing its largest MAX model at facilities in Renton and Everett after years of regulatory and manufacturing delays.
The FAA issued an amended type certificate confirming the aircraft meets design and safety requirements, along with an updated production authorization. Certification is a key step toward deliveries to airlines, which must still prepare the planes for passenger service.
The regulator required Boeing to make safety improvements before approval, including an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor in the flight control system. Erroneous readings from that type of sensor triggered software that repeatedly pushed the noses of two 737 MAX aircraft downward before crashes in 2018 and 2019. The crashes killed 346 people.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency had reviewed the MAX 10’s design and safety requirements and would continue to closely monitor Boeing as production begins. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the approval followed extensive safety reviews and thousands of hours of test flights.
The MAX 10 approval follows the FAA’s certification of the smaller MAX 7 in August. Boeing is still pursuing certification for its 777X family of aircraft.
Boeing reported nearly 1,500 orders for the MAX 10 as of this summer, making it the second most-ordered model in the MAX family. The plane can seat up to 210 passengers and has a range of up to 3,100 nautical miles. Its maximum takeoff weight is 197,900 pounds, more than 3,200 pounds above that of the next-largest MAX model, the 9.
Boeing plans to assemble the MAX 10 in Renton and on a newer production line in Everett. The Everett line has more space to accommodate the longer aircraft and could be dedicated to MAX 10s, while Renton’s lines would need to alternate them with smaller MAX models.
The certification had faced a brief delay last month as the FAA examined a software glitch that can disable an automated navigation system in some circumstances. The agency determined the issue did not pose a safety risk and would not hold up approval.