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Boeing 737 Max 10 Wins FAA Approval After Nearly a Decade of Delays
The Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing's 737 Max 10 for passenger service on Tuesday, ending nearly ten years of delays. Deliveries of the jet are expected to begin in 2027.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 21, 2026
• 4 Min Read
Certification After Extensive Safety Reviews
The Federal Aviation Administration cleared the largest member of Boeing's 737 Max family for passenger service on Tuesday, ending years of waiting for a jet first shown to the world in 2017. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the 737 Max 10 certification during a visit to Boeing's manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington. He said the decision followed extensive safety reviews, including thousands of hours of test flights, and described it as a major win for American manufacturing.
Duffy also noted how much time the process had consumed, telling those at the plant that the long road had left its mark on everyone involved.
"To think that it took us almost 10 years to get here. We all probably had a little less grey hair 10 years ago."
A Decade in the Making
The single-aisle jet was introduced at the Paris air show in 2017 to help Boeing compete with rival Airbus. Certification never came quickly.
Several events pushed the timeline further out:
- •Two deadly crashes involving the smaller Max 8, off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia, killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.
- •In 2024, a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9 in mid-air, renewing scrutiny of Boeing's manufacturing and safety practices.
After the crashes, the FAA overhauled how it certifies Boeing aircraft. Over the past 18 months, though, the agency has gradually eased some restrictions on the company, increasing the limit on how many planes Boeing can produce. In July, the FAA said Boeing could once again issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 Max and 787 planes at the end of production.
What the Plane Offers and Who Buys It
The Max 10 is the biggest of the four 737 Max models. According to Boeing, it will typically seat 185-210 passengers, compared with 175-195 on the Max 9 and 160-180 on the Max 8.
Its market is the crowded narrow-body jets segment, where it faces stiff competition:
- •Airbus's A321neo model family, which entered service in 2017, is the Max 10's direct rival. The largest A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refuelling.
- •More than 30 customers worldwide have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that Boeing has yet to deliver, accounting for more than 30% of the company's total 737 Max backlog.
- •Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair.
- •Alaska Airlines joined that list in January, ordering 105 Max 10s, with options for 35 more.
What Comes Next for Boeing
The FAA certification means the agency determined the Max 10's design meets safety standards. Boeing must still demonstrate consistent production, and each plane must be cleared before it can fly passengers.
The approval completes the line-up of four 737 Max models. The FAA cleared the Max 7 for airline operations in August, meaning Boeing secured certifications for both aircraft in the same year - a sign of the company's resilience, according to Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Pope described the day as an especially significant one, saying it crowned years of hard work by many people and marked a further milestone in Boeing's recovery, while unlocking a key to future growth.
She said the certification clears the path to deliver an aeroplane that will set a new standard in commercial aviation.
Before the first Max 10s reach travellers, Boeing must show steady output at its factories and win clearance for each aircraft individually. If that work stays on schedule, Max 10 deliveries will begin in 2027.
