U.S. Approves Boeing 737 Max 10, but Deliveries Wait Until 2027

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing’s long-delayed 737 Max 10, clearing the largest member of the Max family for production and delivery after years of regulatory review. The FAA issued an amended type certificate on October 20 and updated Boeing’s production authorization, but the first aircraft are not expected to reach airlines until 2027.

The decision completes U.S. certification of Boeing’s four-model 737 Max lineup. The smaller Max 7 received approval in August, joining the Max 8 and Max 9 already in airline service. For carriers awaiting the Max 10, certification removes the principal U.S. regulatory barrier, although aircraft preparation, international approvals, customer acceptance and entry-into-service work still separate the regulatory decision from passenger flights.

The Max 10 is designed to carry as many as 230 passengers, making it Boeing’s largest single-aisle jet. Boeing introduced the model in 2017 as a competitor to the Airbus A321neo family, but technical and safety-related issues extended its certification campaign into 2026. Airbus gained time in the large single-aisle segment while Boeing’s alternative remained unavailable for delivery.

Certification is especially consequential because the Max 10 represents a substantial part of Boeing’s planned production. Boeing Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg previously said the model accounted for roughly 30% of a 737 backlog totaling about 4,500 aircraft. Aviation analytics firm IBA put outstanding Max 10 orders above 1,550 and its share of the 737 backlog at 31%.

Approval came under a changed certification system

The Max 10 was reviewed within a regulatory structure reshaped after two Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. Those accidents led to changes in FAA oversight, manufacturer delegation, system-safety assessment and the treatment of human factors and pilot training.

The FAA said its Max 10 decision followed thousands of hours of test flights and a review of the aircraft’s design and safety requirements. The agency required the model to incorporate provisions arising from the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act and recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board. The changes include flight-control updates using an enhanced angle-of-attack sensor, which supplies information related to the aircraft’s pitch attitude.

That requirement illustrates why the approval took on more significance than the addition of another cabin-size option. Modern aircraft certification has to assess not only whether individual components meet requirements, but also how sensors, flight controls, cockpit indications, automation and pilot responses interact. The FAA’s broader certification reforms call for more detailed system-interaction reviews, greater use of independent safety experts and consideration of pilots with different experience levels when training requirements are evaluated.

Manufacturing oversight also remains part of the operating context. Scrutiny increased again after a panel separated from an Alaska Airlines Max 9 during flight in 2024. The FAA subsequently restricted Boeing’s production growth before gradually easing some limits. In July 2026, the agency said Boeing could again perform delegated certification work for all 737 Max and 787 aircraft, while remaining under FAA oversight.

Certification does not put the jet immediately into service

An amended type certificate confirms that the Max 10 design complies with applicable U.S. requirements. The associated production authorization permits Boeing to manufacture aircraft under the approved configuration. Airlines must still receive their jets, complete acceptance processes and prepare crews, maintenance programs and operating documentation before carrying passengers.

Boeing expects the first Max 10 delivery in early 2027, with Canada-based WestJet positioned to receive the initial aircraft after Canadian certification. European and Canadian approvals were expected to follow the FAA decision within months. Major customers also include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Ryanair and Alaska Airlines.

Production layout presents another practical constraint. Ortberg has said the longer Max 10 cannot be positioned nose-to-tail on Boeing’s existing Renton line as readily as smaller 737 variants, while the company’s Everett facility can better accommodate it. Boeing opened an additional 737 production line in Everett in July, linking the certification milestone to the less visible work of factory flow, quality control and delivery preparation.

The FAA’s decision therefore ends the Max 10’s U.S. design-approval campaign, but not the wait for airline service. The next measurable milestone will be the first customer delivery in 2027, when certification progress must translate into completed aircraft moving through acceptance and into commercial fleets.

By Thomas Caldwell — AMI’s senior editor for mechanical and mobility engineering, covering vehicle electronics, systems integration, electrification, chassis systems, propulsion, and safety policy.