Boeing Expects 737-7 MAX Certification before 737-10

Delays with the Boeing 737-10 MAX mean the -7 will be certified before its larger sibling.

DALLAS - Boeing has announced it expects to receive 737-7 certification before the end of the year, while the 737-10 from the MAX series will not be certified before the first half of 2023, Reuters reported.

John Dyson, a marketing specialist at Boeing said, "The MAX 7, that'd be the first one to come in. The MAX 10 will be right behind that."

The 737-7 MAX should be certified before the end of the year, according to Boeing executives. Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways

Certification Issues

The aircraft manufacturer is facing certification issues with the largest member of its 737 MAX family—the 737-10, as the aircraft cannot be certified by the end of the year. The problem is that all Boeing aircraft certified after January 1, 2023, must comply with a new law from the American Congress on cockpit alerting requirements.

This means Boeing needs to modify the aircraft's cockpit, which is no easy task. Indeed, Boeing's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) even said that if the company did not get a waiver from Congress, it may be forced to scrap the 737-10 MAX program entirely.

Boeing 737-10 prototype (N27751). Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways

New Alerting Systems Requirements

The announcement today confirms the aircraft will not be ready before 2023, meaning it should be forced to follow the new law. However, Boeing hopes to get a waiver to produce the aircraft. The company explains that having the same alerting cockpit systems for all aircraft in the 737 MAX family is better.

These cockpit requirements should not be a problem for the 737-7 MAX, as the executive from Boeing confirmed the company expects to have it certified before the end of the year.

While many observers have already said that the 737-10 would not be certified before the end of 2022, the announcement confirms this information. The company must now officially ask congress to grant a waiver for the aircraft. This is a big deal for Boeing, as the manufacturer already has over 600 orders for the aircraft.

Featured Image: The 737-10 MAX is the larger variant of the MAX family. Photo: Brandon Farris / Airways.

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