05/19/2026
After years of delays, the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 are finally on track to receive FAA certification before the end of 2026.
In an April 2026 interview with Bloomberg, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency has not found any issues that would prevent Boeing from getting certification for either variant before the end of the year. "We haven't seen anything today that would indicate that Boeing would not be able to meet certification before the end of the year," Bedford said.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed the same timeline, telling investors the company expects certification for both variants in 2026, with first deliveries planned for 2027.
The biggest sign of progress came in late December 2025, when the 737 MAX 10 entered the final stage of certification flight testing.
The two variants have been stuck in certification limbo for years, primarily due to a redesign of the engine anti-ice system. Boeing has spent thousands of hours fixing the design, which now appears to have cleared the major regulatory concerns.
Combined orders for both variants exceed 1,700 aircraft globally. The MAX 7 seats 138 to 153 passengers and is ideal for shorter routes, with Southwest Airlines holding roughly 90% of all orders. The MAX 10, Boeing's direct competitor to the Airbus A321neo, seats up to 204 passengers and has major customers including United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta, American Airlines, and Ryanair.
For Boeing, certifying these two final variants would close one of the most painful chapters in its recent history, marking a real turning point after the 2018 and 2019 fatal crashes, the global grounding, and the January 2024 door plug blowout on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.
If everything stays on schedule, the 737 MAX family will finally be complete in 2027.