Boeing 737 MAX 10 certification strikes into the following part of FAA testing, however key technical hurdles and timeline uncertainty stay.
Should you’ve adopted the lengthy and sometimes irritating highway to certification for Boeing’s 737 MAX 10, final week’s information in all probability felt acquainted. It’s progress, sure. However it’s not the end line.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has permitted Boeing’s largest MAX variant to maneuver into the second part of flight testing beneath its Kind Inspection Authorization (TIA) course of. The FAA and Boeing declined to remark publicly, however the transfer was first reported by Reuters and confirmed by business sources.
Transferring on to Section 2 testing is nice information for the beleaguered planemaker, and it’s definitely not insignificant. This a part of the method includes Boeing welcoming FAA inspectors instantly into the flight take a look at program to judge vital programs, together with avionics, propulsion, and general plane efficiency. Nonetheless, certification just isn’t full, and a few of the MAX 10’s most cussed challenges stay unresolved.
Progress, With Caveats
The largest technical subject nonetheless hanging over this system is the engine anti-icing system. Regulators have raised issues that extended use of the system might trigger harm to the composite engine nacelles. That subject has delayed each the MAX 10 and the smaller MAX 7.
The FAA approval to maneuver into Section 2 testing applies solely to the MAX 10. The MAX 7 has not but obtained the identical clearance, highlighting the unevenness of the certification timelines inside the MAX household.
Business analyst Scott Hamilton of Leeham Firm summed it up fairly succinctly in feedback to Reuters.
“It’s progress, however till the airplane is licensed, it’s not,” Hamilton stated, including that Boeing can’t start full manufacturing of the MAX 10 at its Everett facility till a transparent certification path is established.
Boeing executives have beforehand said that they nonetheless count on certification of each the MAX 7 and MAX 10 someday in 2026, though many analysts imagine that timeline stays optimistic.
Airways Are Ordering Anyway
What makes this second notably attention-grabbing is not only the place the certification stands, however who remains to be inserting main, multi-billion-dollar bets on the airplane.
Simply days in the past, Alaska Airways introduced the biggest plane order in its historical past. The deal contains 105 Boeing 737 10s and 5 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with choices for a further 35 MAX 10s. The large order is a wanted signal of confidence in Boeing’s narrowbody and widebody roadmap and restoration after years of setbacks.
Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci stated he’s assured the MAX 10 can be licensed this yr, in keeping with Reuters. The kind is central to Alaska’s future home development, whereas the incoming 787s will help expanded long-haul flying from Seattle.
North of the border, WestJet can also be all in. In 2025, the Canadian provider positioned a file Boeing order that included 60 MAX 10s, choices for added plane, and 7 787 Dreamliners. WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech stays assured of his firm’s selection, saying that the MAX 10 will play a key position in WestJet’s fleet modernization and community growth plans. He calls the MAX 10 a “game-changer.”
For each airways and extra airways (United, American, Delta, Ryanair) which have positioned orders for the sort, the logic is obvious. Fleet planning occurs years upfront. Supply slots matter. And ready for certification earlier than ordering can imply getting pushed to the again of the road.
The MAX 10 is Completely Important for Boeing’s Success
Put merely, Boeing wants the MAX 10 to achieve success.
The 737 MAX 10 is Boeing’s largest single-aisle jet. In the correct configuration, it could seat round 230 passengers, which places it squarely in competitors with the Airbus A321neo (which may maintain as much as 244 pax in a high-density, single-class configuration). That issues as a result of the A321neo has owned this nook of the marketplace for years. It’s the kind airways flip to when they need extra seats with out transitioning to a widebody. The Airbus A320 household of jets surpassed Boeing’s best-selling 737 in late 2025 for the primary time in historical past. For the primary time in its historical past, Boeing was taking part in catch-up.
And but, even with out certification, airways proceed to position orders. Boeing now has greater than 1,200 MAX 10 orders in its backlog. These jets signify billions of {dollars} in future income, however Boeing received’t see any of that cash till deliveries start. Starting deliveries is broadly seen as vital to bettering Boeing’s income and money movement at a time when the corporate stays beneath intense regulatory oversight and monetary strain.
That scrutiny solely elevated after the January 2024 mid-cabin door plug failure on a 737 MAX 9. Since then, the FAA has taken a much more hands-on strategy to oversight by slowing approvals and growing oversight. In flip, Boeing was pressured to prioritize high quality and compliance in a means it had not been allowed to hurry earlier than (it is a good factor).
In October, the FAA permitted a rise in 737 MAX manufacturing to 42 plane monthly, ending a cap that had been in place since early 2024. However that enhance can solely go to date. Boeing can’t absolutely benefit from that enhance with out further licensed variants getting into service.
2026: The 12 months of the MAX 10 or Nah?
So, is 2026 the yr of the MAX 10? Dare we get excited?
Whereas Section 2 flight testing brings the MAX 10 nearer to certification than it has ever been, the trail ahead stays slim. The engine anti-icing subject have to be resolved. The flight deck alerting system should meet up to date regulatory necessities. And the FAA has proven no urge for food for speeding approvals (and rightfully so).
Late 2026 certification is more and more seen as an optimistic situation, with entry into service doubtlessly slipping into 2027 if further obstacles get in the best way.
For Boeing, the stakes couldn’t be greater. We’ve all sat and watched during the last decade as Boeing dedicated misstep after misstep. Nonetheless, the tide does appear to be turning. Lastly. Maybe as soon as the certification of the MAX 10 and MAX 7 is full, together with the 777-8 and 777-9, Boeing can lastly put these darkish years behind it and reclaim its rightful place as king of the OEMs.
For now, the information of MAX 10 certification progress gives some much-needed optimism.
Progress, sure. Certainty, not but.
