FAA certifies Boeing 737 MAX 10, unlocking 1,555-order backlog

The FAA certified Boeing's 737 MAX 10 on October 20, 2026, clearing the manufacturer to begin deliveries of its largest single-aisle jet after a six-year wait against an original 2020 delivery target.

Boeing has booked 1,555 orders for the MAX 10 from more than 30 customers — more than 30% of its unfilled MAX orderbook. Deliveries will begin in the coming months, the company said, giving airlines whose fleet plans have been affected by the delays access to the only Boeing airframe that competes directly with the Airbus A321neo.

The approval completes certification of the four main MAX variants, following FAA clearance of the smaller MAX 7 in August 2026. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy presented the certification documents to Boeing officials at a ceremony in Everett, Washington.

"The FAA's decision follows a thorough review of the aircraft's design and safety requirements," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. The agency said it will continue its oversight as Boeing begins producing the model.

What does the MAX 10 bring operators?

The aircraft carries up to 230 passengers, with typical two-class seating for 185 to 210. Boeing lists its range at up to 3,100 nautical miles and claims the lowest per-seat operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft in service — a claim the backlog itself supports, given that more than a third of unfilled MAX orders sit on this variant alone.

"Completing the certification program clears the path for us to deliver a Boeing airplane that will set a new standard in commercial aviation," said Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Major MAX 10 customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Ryanair. For those carriers, the certification restores a capacity option that had been missing from fleet plans since Boeing's original 2020 delivery window slipped.

Why did it take six years?

The program ran into tightened regulatory scrutiny after the two MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people. Further delays followed involving the engine anti-ice system. A navigation-software issue disclosed in September 2026 also threatened to hold up approval.

Because faulty angle-of-attack readings contributed to both crashes, the MAX 10 introduces an enhanced angle-of-attack system designed to make sensor failures easier for pilots to manage. The new system:

• monitors sensor behavior and identifies suspect readings
• blocks faulty data from reaching other aircraft systems, or substitutes a default value
• flags the affected sensor with an alert on the pilots' displays

The changes also include a cockpit switch that lets pilots silence an erroneous stick-shaker warning. Boeing says the enhanced system will become standard across MAX production and will be available for retrofit on aircraft already in service.

How was it certified?

The certification campaign involved nearly 1,000 flights, more than 2,000 flight-test hours and 1,000 hours of ground testing. Boeing said the MAX 10 is the first commercial aircraft certified to the full extent of the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, including its requirements for documenting safety assessments and evaluating how pilots interact with aircraft systems.

The certified aircraft and the promised retrofits are now two separate timelines to watch: deliveries begin in the coming months, while the rate at which Boeing can convert a 1,555-unit backlog into handovers will determine whether the MAX 10 regains ground against the A321neo.