Washington prepares to announce Boeing 737 MAX 10 certification on Tuesday with orders nearing 1,500 aircraft
Key Facts
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters they expected U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to announce Federal Aviation Administration approval of Boeing's 737 MAX 10 on Tuesday, a model for which airlines have ordered nearly 1,500 aircraft. The largest variant accounts for about 30% of Boeing's unfilled narrowbody order book, according to the news agency. Boeing says the aircraft will be a "key cash flow driver" in its financial recovery. The expected announcement follows delays to the programme beyond the company's earlier plans, which targeted the start of deliveries in 2020. The size of the order backlog gives the model a prominent place in the company's financial plans, according to Boeing's description of its importance to its recovery.
Buyers include U.S. and European airlines that have placed large orders for the model, including United, whose order announced on June 29, 2021 included the purchase of 150 aircraft, according to Boeing. The manufacturer also announced a deal with Ryanair on May 9, 2023 that it described as the largest purchase in the carrier's history. That deal included a firm order for 150 aircraft of the largest variant, alongside options for another 150 aircraft. Delta, for its part, says it will add 100 aircraft of the model to its fleet, according to its dedicated aircraft page. The U.S. carrier's plan also includes options for 30 additional aircraft.
The FAA previously certified the smaller variant, the Boeing 737 MAX 7, on August 3, 2026, according to its official statement on that model. The agency issued an amended type certificate for the smaller aircraft as part of the certification measures it announced. Those measures also included updating the production limitation record for this variant of the MAX family. The agency required updates to control software and flight crew alerts, according to the same statement. Certification requirements for the smaller variant also included a redesign of the engine anti-ice system, one of the systems modified under the programme.
Regarding the software glitch, WestJet discovered the problem during a test flight before the aircraft entered service, according to Reuters. The FAA said the glitch did not pose a safety issue, basing its assessment on pilots retaining full control of the aircraft. The agency added that the indications displayed to the flight crew were "clear and unambiguous", explaining its assessment of the problem's impact. Duffy said, according to a Reuters report published in late September, that the agency saw no need to ground the MAX fleet over the glitch. Boeing had told Reuters its engineers were working on a software update "to permanently address the issue".
The model has a direct link to the Gulf market through an order placed by Qatar Airways for 25 aircraft of the largest variant, according to Boeing's announcement. The manufacturer said the aircraft were intended to serve the Qatari carrier's network on short- and medium-haul routes. The model has a maximum capacity of 230 passengers, according to Boeing's specifications in the order announcement. In trading, Boeing shares fell 6.18% to $185.82 on Monday afternoon, September 28, 2026, according to Investing.com. That earlier move came in response to a certification delay during the investigation into the software glitch.
An engine anti-ice system problem that emerged in 2023 had contributed to further delays in certification of the largest variant, according to Reuters. The system was one of the reasons the certification process stretched out before the current expectations of an approval announcement. The FAA said of its procedures that "safety dictates the certification timeline". Duffy is scheduled to appear on Tuesday at Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington, according to the sources who spoke to Reuters. The sources expected the secretary to praise the FAA's certification of the model during the planned appearance.