Nearly a decade after Boeing introduced its largest 737 Max plane, the company has cleared a major hurdle in its effort to bring the plane to airlines. The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday approved the Max 10 for passenger service, ending years of delays. The certification of the 737 Max 10 represents another milestone in Boeing’s efforts to restore its reputation and financial condition after years of safety, quality and production challenges. With production approved, the aircraft can now be sold to domestic and foreign carriers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the certification followed “extensive safety reviews,” including thousands of hours of test flights, and called it a major victory for the American manufacturing industry. “To think it took us almost 10 years to get here. We probably all had a little less gray hair 10 years ago,” Duffy said during a visit to Boeing’s manufacturing plant Tuesday in Everett, Washington. The Max 10 is an important piece of the company’s effort to regain ground in the narrow-body vehicle market. For airlines, the larger plane offers a way to carry more passengers on a single flight, potentially reducing per-seat costs. For travelers, this could eventually mean more seats on popular routes, although the impact on fares will depend on how airlines deploy planes and how much competition they face. To display this YouTube content, you must enable ad tracking and audience measurement. OK Manage my options One of your browser extensions appears to be blocking the video player from loading. To view this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: BUSINESS © FRANCE 24 Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said during Duffy’s visit that the certification “clears the way to deliver an aircraft that will set a new standard in commercial aviation.” According to Boeing, the Max 10 typically seats between 185 and 210 passengers, compared to 175-195 for the Max 9 and 160-180 for the Max 8. “Today is a very, very special day. It is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by many,” Pope said. “It marks another important milestone in our recovery and opens a key to our future growth.” The company hopes to begin deliveries in 2027. The single-aisle plane was unveiled at the Paris air show in 2017 to help Boeing compete with rival Airbus. But technical and regulatory obstacles repeatedly delayed certification. Boeing’s problems have been particularly acute since two deadly crashes involving the smaller Max 8 killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019 off the coasts of Indonesia and Ethiopia. In 2024, a panel took off from an Alaska Airlines Max 9 into the air, renewing scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and safety practices. The delays have crippled a key part of Boeing’s business. More than 30 customers around the world have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that Boeing has not yet delivered, representing more than 30% of its total 737 Max portfolio. Read moreA deep dive into the global spy plane market Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair. Alaska Airlines joined that list in January, ordering 105 Max 10s, with options for 35 more. The Max 10 is intended to compete with Airbus’ A321neo model family, which entered service in 2017. The larger A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refueling than the Max 10. Still, Boeing designed the Max 10 to carry more passengers and burn less fuel than older planes, a potentially attractive combination for airlines facing rising jet fuel costs amid the U.S. war with Iran. Those rising costs have put additional pressure on airlines to rein in spending. The certification means that the FAA has determined that the Max 10 design meets safety standards, following engineering reviews and flight testing. But Boeing must continue to demonstrate that it can consistently build the plane to the approved design, and each plane must be cleared before it can carry passengers. The certification of the Max 10 completes the range of four 737 Max models. The FAA cleared the Max 7 for air operations in August. Pope on Tuesday described the certification of the Max 7 and Max 10 in the same year as a sign of the company’s resilience. In the wake of the fatal Max 8 crashes, the FAA revised the way it certifies Boeing airplanes. But over the past 18 months, the agency has gradually eased some of its restrictions on the company, raising the limit on how many planes Boeing can produce. In July, the FAA also said Boeing could reissue airworthiness certificates for its 737 Max and 787 planes at the end of production, allowing the company to take on some of the responsibility for determining whether finished planes are ready to fly. (FRANCE 24 with AP)