By David Shepardson and Dan Catchpole
WASHINGTON/SEATTLE, August 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave long-awaited approval on Monday to Boeing’s 737 MAX 7, a milestone for the American planemaker that has waited years to sell the smallest version of its best-selling airplane.
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Boeing has faced a more stringent certification process since two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, as well as scrutiny of the company’s production and quality systems after a January 2024 mid-air cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.
Boeing’s share price rose about 1.2% after Reuters first reported the news of the MAX 7 certification, and was up 6.7% for the day.
The FAA after almost a decade of review required Boeing to incorporate key improvements and address recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, including updates to the flight-control software, flight crew alerting system, and a redesigned engine anti-ice system.
The jetliner’s certification was years behind schedule. At one point, Boeing had said it expected the plane to be approved before the end of 2022.
Boeing said on Monday that preparations are underway to support first deliveries. The MAX 7 offers 135 to 160 seats while providing about 10% more range potential than other MAX planes. The Boeing 737 MAX 7 began testing in 2018.
Boeing and Southwest Airlines, the 737 MAX 7 launch customer, are preparing for delivery of the first airplane.
Southwest Airlines said it is pleased with the approval and looks forward to the plane entering service in the coming months. Southwest does not have the MAX 7 on its current schedule, which is through March 2027.
FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau told Reuters last month that he thought approval of the larger MAX 10 would be “right behind” the MAX 7.
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Stephanie Pope, Boeing’s head of commercial airplanes, told employees in a memo on Monday that the company learned “important lessons that we are already applying to the 737-10 and that are accelerating our work as we complete the 737 MAX airplane family and then the 777X programs.”
Boeing already has built about 30 MAX 7s and nine MAX 10s, which are awaiting delivery, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The MAX 10 accounts for at least 28% of outstanding MAX orders.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters in July that the agency and Boeing have improved work on certifying new planes.
Boeing in 2022 faced a deadline set by Congress to win certification of the two variants of the MAX before a new safety standard on cockpit alerts was to take effect. Congress ultimately agreed to waive that requirement.
The FAA said in December the MAX 10 would have an enhanced flight crew alerting system, which will include a way to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts.
The FAA last October gave Boeing approval to raise its 737 MAX production to 42 planes per month, ending a 38-plane cap in place since January 2024 after the Alaska incident. The agency in March then allowed Boeing to hike production to 47 planes per month.
Last month, the FAA said it would let Boeing issue airworthiness certificates for all 737 MAX and 787 airplanes after an extensive review showed that the company had demonstrated “consistent production quality.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Dan Catchpole; additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh Editing by Mark Porter and Will Dunham)
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