FAA clears Boeing's 737 Max 10, largest variant in the family

The approval completes certification of all four 737 Max models and ends a software-driven delay flagged in September.

The Federal Aviation Administration has certified the 737 Max 10, Boeing's largest Max variant, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced during a visit to Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, according to Reuters. The approval completes the Max lineup, following the FAA's clearance of the smaller Max 7 for airline operations in August, the Associated Press reported.

The Max 10 has drawn nearly 1,500 orders, about 30% of Boeing's 737 backlog, Reuters reported. Boeing put the jet through 976 test flights totaling more than 2,060 flight hours, with the last planned certification flight in July, according to Boeing figures cited by migflug.com. Reuters reported that first customer deliveries are targeted for 2027.

Certification had been held up by a software glitch in certain Max flight computers that Boeing disclosed in late September. The FAA has since determined the glitch poses no safety issue and did not make certification contingent on a fix, Reuters reported. Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said in September that certification was also needed to bring on an additional production line in Everett dedicated to the Max 10, which Boeing is counting on to help lift output to 52 jets a month next year.

The delay had pushed Boeing's timeline past the "very shortly" language it used in September and put Ryanair's spring delivery plans in question. Certification now lines up with Ryanair's own October timeline and its expectation of January deliveries. Wing-production limits remain a separate constraint on how quickly Boeing can build the jets. With that approval now in hand, the demand built up through the Turkish Airlines order and the Turkey and Bangladesh orders announced by President Trump can start converting into actual deliveries and cash flow for Boeing.