FAA head says the agency is not the roadblock to Boeing MAX 7, 10 certification

By David Shepardson and Dan Catchpole

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE, Jan 21 (Reuters) – The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday the agency is not the roadblock to Boeing winning certification of two new variants of the Boeing 737 MAX.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters after a speech in Washington that the agency had devoted significant resources to helping Boeing get the smaller 737 MAX 7 and larger MAX 10 planes certified, but the planemaker still had to do its own work.

“We can only help get them there, but they have got to do the work, and they’re doing the work,” Bedford said. “I don’t think FAA is the roadblock on 7 and the -10 certification.”

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, Reuters reported the FAA approved the MAX 10 move to the second phase of flight testing on the plane’s long-delayed certification campaign, citing a source familiar with the program.

Boeing executives have previously said they expect to finish certification this year for the MAX 7 and 10, the smallest and largest variants of the popular single-aisle jet. The company has more than 1,200 orders for the MAX 10 in its backlog, according to aviation data analytics firm Cirium.

MAX 10 ASSEMBLY IN EVERETT

The planemaker plans to assemble the MAX 10 at its plant in Everett, Washington, on a new assembly line, dubbed the 737 North Line. The MAX 10 is too long to efficiently assemble at Boeing’s plant in Renton, Washington, where the company started making 737s in 1966.

In mid-January, the company posted job listings for 737 North Line shift managers, as first reported by the Seattle Times. Applications are due on February 23, the postings say.

Boeing has faced delays in ⁠the certification of its MAX 7 and MAX 10 ​models due to an engine de-icing issue. The U.S. ​planemaker has also faced delays in certifying its widebody 777X jet. In October, the FAA gave Boeing approval to raise 737 MAX production to 42 ‍planes per month, ending a ⁠38-plane cap in place since January 2024.

Earlier this month, Alaska Airlines ordered 105 MAX 10 airplanes and Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci said he was confident the MAX 10 will be certified this year.

Both Bedford and his predecessor Mike Whitaker have called for reforms to the certification process. Bedford said the FAA has a few “Skunk Works” projects working with industry “to see how they can streamline the process… I won’t prejudge the outcome.” 

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Jamie Freed)