Boeing Secures Certification for 737 MAX 7 After Eight Years

After eight years of review and development, Boeing has finally secured certification for its 737 MAX 7 aircraft from US authorities. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the approval on Monday, stating that it followed 'almost a decade of extensive review'.

The 737 MAX 7 was originally intended to enter production in 2019, but the timeline was delayed due to two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. Boeing completed 441 flight tests over 686 test flight hours to win certification.

A contributing factor to the crashes was the poor design of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) anti-stall system, which activated improperly and prevented pilots from regaining control of the planes. US prosecutors charged that Boeing misled FAA regulators about MCAS, resulting in no reference to the system in manuals and pilot training materials.

Boeing is close to winning certification for the 737 MAX 10, the largest model in the MAX family with a maximum of 230 seats. The company expects to ramp up MAX production in the coming period, with plans to increase output from 38 to 52 planes per month by using a new production line in Everett, Washington.