FAA Says Boeing MAX 7 and MAX 10 Near Certification
The most important Boeing narrowbody development right now is not a sales story. It is a certification closure story, centered on two specific technical items that still stand between the 737 MAX 7, the 737 MAX 10, and full entry into service: the redesigned engine anti-ice system and, for the MAX 10, an FAA-mandated enhanced angle-of-attack system.
FAA officials indicated at Farnborough that both programs are closer to approval than at any previous point. Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau said the MAX 7 is “literally around the corner,” with the MAX 10 following after it, while emphasizing that timing still depends on Boeing submitting the required information and the agency completing its review.
That caveat matters. On transport-category aircraft, certification is not just about finishing flight tests. It is about closing the paperwork, analyses, and compliance findings that prove the design meets the rule set. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency has increased resources devoted to Boeing certification programs by 35% to 40% after coordinating priorities with the company, a sign that the regulator is trying to keep review capacity aligned with Boeing’s submission pace.
For the MAX 7, the main blocker remains the engine anti-ice redesign. The issue affects the full 737 MAX family, not just the uncertified variants. The MAX 8 and MAX 9 are already flying in airline service under waivers while a retrofit is developed, but the MAX 7 cannot move into production until the fix is resolved and approved. That makes the anti-ice package more than a technical footnote; it is the gate that controls whether Boeing can finally turn stored airframes into deliveries.
Boeing has already built 30 complete MAX 7 aircraft that remain in storage awaiting delivery. For a production system, that is a practical reminder that certification delays do not stay confined to engineering. They spill into inventory, factory flow, handoff timing, and supplier planning.
The MAX 10 carries the same anti-ice requirement, but its path is more complex. In addition to the engine anti-ice fix, it must also satisfy the FAA requirement for an enhanced angle-of-attack system before type certification. Both items have to be closed before the aircraft can enter service.
That angle-of-attack requirement is especially significant because it shows how certification on the MAX family now extends beyond baseline airframe and propulsion compliance into cockpit alerting and system-monitoring architecture. In practical terms, this is about how the aircraft identifies and handles angle-of-attack input issues in a way the FAA will accept for the stretched MAX 10 configuration. It is a design assurance and safety-compliance issue, not simply a box to check late in the program.
Bedford indicated the likely order is MAX 7 first, then MAX 10, then 777X. That sequence tracks the narrower certification gap on the -7 and the added work still attached to the -10. It also helps explain why the FAA’s staffing increase matters. When multiple major Boeing programs are competing for the same regulatory attention, review bandwidth becomes part of the schedule.
There is also a production consequence on the U.S. industrial side. Boeing recently received FAA approval to raise narrowbody output from 42 to 47 aircraft per month. The company’s stated goal is 53 per month once the MAX 7 and MAX 10 are certified. In other words, these two certifications are not only about adding variants to the catalog. They are tied directly to how far Boeing believes it can push its 737 manufacturing system.
Another recent shift is the FAA’s decision to restore Boeing’s authority to issue individual airworthiness certificates for 737 MAX and 787 aircraft. Boeing had lost that authority after the MAX accidents and subsequent 20-month grounding. Restoring it does not remove FAA oversight, but it does reduce friction at the final delivery stage and suggests the agency sees enough process stability to return part of that delegated role.
Still, none of that changes the central reality: the remaining work is technical and regulatory, not rhetorical. The anti-ice redesign has to be approved. The MAX 10’s enhanced angle-of-attack requirement has to be satisfied. Boeing has to deliver the remaining certification material, and the FAA has to clear it.
For U.S. aerospace, that is the real story line to watch. If the MAX 7 and MAX 10 cross the finish line, Boeing does not just gain two delayed variants. It unlocks the next step in narrowbody production planning, inventory release, and factory utilization. Until then, the pace of certification closure remains the program’s true measure of progress.
By David Whitaker — Associate editor for AMI’s aerospace and drone systems desk, translating flight systems, aircraft programs, spaceflight, and UAV developments into accessible technical stories.
