FAA Proposes Mandatory Seat Inspections on 453 Boeing 737 MAX Jets

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed an airworthiness directive (AD) regarding improperly installed seats on hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX jets.

The issue was discovered after a report indicated that some seat assemblies were not correctly installed, which could cause them to disengage from the seat tracks during increased loads such as emergency landings or turbulence.

Boeing first issued guidance to airlines in December 2025 about the issue, and the AD making repairs mandatory.

The FAA has estimated that up to 69 track-mounted passenger seat assemblies on a 737 MAX will need to be inspected, with each inspection taking around one hour and repair taking another hour.