FAA Expects Boeing MAX 7 Certification This Summer

FAA Expects Boeing MAX 7 Certification This Summer

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Wednesday that he expects the Boeing 737 MAX 7 to be certified this summer and the larger MAX 10 to be approved before the end of the year. Speaking at an aviation forum in Washington, Bedford also expects Boeing to hike production of the 737 MAX again in the next 90 days.

Production Increase and Certification Process

The FAA supported Boeing's decision to raise production from 42 planes per month to 47. "It's important for the country that Boeing is successful," Bedford said. "We are absolutely comfortable with 42 to 47 and I suspect in another 30, 60, 90 days we're going to see continued rate increases." Boeing aims to move to 52 jets a month early next year.

MAX 7 and MAX 10 Certification Delays

Boeing has faced delays in certifying its MAX 7 and MAX 10 models due to an engine de-icing issue. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said he is "pretty confident that we're not going to see any hiccups in the remaining phase of flight testing" for certifying the new 737 MAX engine anti-ice system.

Focus on Quality and Safety

"The best thing we can do to help Boeing is have them build quality and safety in the frames at the factory versus dealing with rework," Bedford said, adding that there is a lot more transparency from Boeing. The production cap was imposed after the 2024 mid-air cabin blowout incident involving a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX airplane.