The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday signed off on the Boeing 737 Max 10 after years of delays, a major win for the manufacturer and the last in Boeing’s best-selling family of jets to get government approval.
The green light comes weeks after federal officials reviewed a navigation system glitch on the aircraft but deemed it was not a safety-of-flight issue.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNBC’s Phil LeBeau that safety is paramount, but he also said the U.S. needs to improve its certification process.
“It takes Boeing, to certify an aircraft in Europe, about half the time, less than half the time that it does in the U.S. You have China now playing to take over in aviation,” Duffy said. “We have to certify aircraft more quickly if we’re going to compete as Americans.”
The 737 Max 10, the largest model in the family that can seat up to 230 people, was set to start flying in 2020, but increased scrutiny following two Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 and other safety issues delayed its certification. Engineering changes were also required, including to an anti-icing system for the aircraft’s engines.
Max 10 customers include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Boeing said the Max 10 makes up about 30% of its Max backlog.
Airlines can finally start flying passengers soon after planes are certified, but it can take months for carriers to work them into schedules.
“Completing the certification program clears the path for us to deliver a Boeing airplane that will set a new standard in commercial aviation,” Stephanie Pope, CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, said in a news release.
United CEO Scott Kirby told CNBC in August that the airline had been waiting so long for the Max 10 that the lie-flat seats it expected for the plane no longer make sense and are sitting in a warehouse. Alaska Airlines last month said it plans to put lie-flat seats on some of its 737 Max 10s in a push for more premium offerings.
The FAA approved the smallest model of the 737 Max family, the Max 7, in early August.
Boeing has been working to ramp up production of its 737 Maxes and 787 Dreamliners, which are key to its recovery since airlines and other customers pay the bulk of the aircraft’s price upon delivery. The manufacturer opened a fourth production line in Everett, Washington, in July for its 737 Max airplanes.
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