FAA restores Boeing authority to certify 737 MAX, 787 planes

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it will allow Boeing to issue airworthiness certificates for all 737 MAX and 787 airplanes starting next week, a significant milestone for the U.S. planemaker as it ramps up production.

The FAA said the “decision follows months of thorough data and safety review demonstrating consistent production quality and reflects the FAA’s confidence in Boeing’s ability to issue airworthiness certificates under FAA oversight.”

The decision was first reported by Reuters.

The FAA revoked Boeing’s authority to approve individual MAX planes in 2019 after a second fatal MAX crash in Ethiopia, and for Boeing 787 airplanes in 2022 due to production quality issues.

In September, the FAA allowed Boeing to resume issuing airworthiness certificates for 737 MAX and 787 airplanes on alternating weeks.

“During the past eight months, the FAA has seen comparable production quality findings when Boeing issued airworthiness certificates and when the FAA issued them,” the agency said, adding it will continue inspections, audits, and monitoring of Boeing’s production system.

Boeing said it will continue “to work under the oversight of the FAA in building safe, high-quality commercial airplanes that comply with all airworthiness certification requirements.”

In an interview this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters Boeing is “doing much better.” He added the goal has been “not to soften our regulatory compliance requirements at Boeing but to be more collaborative in the decision-making process.”

The decision comes as Boeing seeks to increase 737 MAX production. The FAA last year raised Boeing’s monthly production cap to 42 aircraft, ending a 38-plane limit imposed after a mid-air panel blowout aboard a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 in January 2024.

In May, Bedford said the agency backed Boeing’s decision to raise production to 47 aircraft a month and expected the company to seek further increases.

Bedford also said he expects the 737 MAX ​7 to be certified this summer and the larger MAX 10 to be ‌approved before the end of the year.

The MAX 7 is ​a shortened version of the two types already in service, the MAX 8 and 9, which have accumulated ‌tens ⁠of thousands of flight hours.

The U.S. planemaker has also faced delays in certifying its widebody 777X jet.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Sanjeev Miglani)