Abstract:
According to people familiar with the matter, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to announce during his visit to Washington state on Tuesday local time that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the Boeing 737 MAX 10 model.
Tamiflu plans to appear at the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, on Tuesday, where it will focus on promoting the FAA airworthiness certification of this model. The plane is a larger version of Boeing's best-selling aircraft series, but certification has been delayed several times. In July this year, Boeing added a new production line at its Everett plant to expand the production capacity of the 737 MAX; the aircraft is also currently undergoing final assembly at its Renton plant.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday evaluated the aircraft model through its Type Certification Committee, which is composed of members of the FAA's management team; this is the final step taken by the agency before making a final certification decision.
Airlines have ordered nearly 1,500 MAX 10 aircraft, which accounts for approximately 30% of Boeing’s current total undelivered orders for the 737 series. The aircraft manufacturer has built several MAX 10s and is awaiting delivery.
Such larger passenger capacity models are critical to the growth plans of many airlines. Major MAX 10 customers include United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Ryanair, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.
Boeing has faced a more stringent airworthiness certification process since two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, and its production and quality systems have come under scrutiny after a cabin panel detached mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 aircraft in January 2024.
Duffy was in Georgia last week to meet with CEOs of major aerospace companies including Boeing, RTX, Honeywell, GE Aviation, Textron and Gulfstream to discuss ways to improve the airworthiness certification process.
After more than eight years of review, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the smaller 737 MAX 7 model in August - an approval that the industry has been waiting for a long time. Before the project encountered delays, Boeing had planned to begin delivering the MAX 10 in 2020.
A problem with the 737 MAX engine anti-ice system that emerged in 2023 further delayed the airworthiness certification process for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 models.
In late September, Boeing disclosed a technical glitch in the latest update of the 737 MAX navigation software, which had sparked concerns that certification work could be further delayed. However, the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the problem did not pose a safety hazard and therefore did not list it as a necessary correction for the aircraft to be certified.
Boeing is still advancing the airworthiness certification work for the 777-9 model; this model is Boeing's largest model in production, and its progress is six years behind the original plan. Boeing said it expects to complete certification and begin deliveries in 2027.
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