The FAA has determined that a software glitch affecting automated flight controls on some Boeing 737 Max aircraft presents no safety risk, a verdict that analysts say puts Max 10 certification back on track for this year and removes a threat to Max 7 deliveries.

The regulator's Corrective Action Review Board, convened this week, concluded the issue is safe because "pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous." Boeing shares rose about 1% on Friday following the announcement.

What does the glitch actually do?

The flaw affects only Max jets running a certain version of the flight software, made by GE Aerospace. When a pilot alters the preprogrammed flight path — for example, during a missed approach — the aircraft drops out of vertical navigation mode into a simpler level of automation. Pilots must then perform additional manual steps before the next landing.

Boeing notified operators in August. On Sept. 26, the FAA said it would study whether the glitch created an unsafe pilot workload in certain circumstances. Its Friday determination closes that review.

The FAA will publish a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin for U.S. airlines and foreign regulators, and Boeing will issue a bulletin instructing airlines how to recognize and respond to the glitch. Boeing is also working with airlines to formalize a procedure that reenables automated vertical navigation if the fault occurs mid-flight.

A permanent software fix had been expected in 2028, but Boeing may now accelerate that timeline. "We will continue to follow the lead of the FAA as our engineers work on the next software update," a Boeing spokesperson said Friday.

Why the stakes went beyond one bug

The finding matters commercially because two new Max variants have spent years in regulatory delay. The FAA recently certified the Max 7, the smallest variant, and a safety finding on the software issue could have complicated its deliveries and entry into service. The Max 10, the largest variant, has not yet been cleared for passenger flight.

The two variants carry real backlog weight. Analysts at RBC Capital wrote this week that they account for about 37% of Boeing's total Max backlog — 254 orders for the Max 7 and 1,535 for the Max 10.

Boeing believed it was nearing the finish line on the Max 10. CEO Kelly Ortberg told a September financial conference that Boeing had completed all flight testing and that the 10 is "coming very shortly." Analysts wrote in investor notes Friday that, with the FAA's determination, certification is likely back on track for this year.

Is this another MCAS?

News of the glitch immediately drew comparisons to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System that forced two Max aircraft into fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, killing everyone aboard when MCAS repeatedly pushed the nose down and left pilots unable to regain control.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford drew a hard line between the two issues at a Monday press conference. Unlike MCAS, he emphasized, this software problem "doesn't take control away from the pilots."

Veteran safety expert and pilot John Cox called the FAA's determination "reasonable" and offered a car analogy: a driver who knows a hard left turn will disengage cruise control does not stop using the system — they simply stay alert for the disruption.

"If the pilots know that there is a potential for the autopilot and autothrust to drop out during a missed approach, you can compensate for that," Cox said. "It's not unsafe; it's just you need to be aware."

How operators are responding

Alaska Airlines, which holds several Max 10 orders, said Friday it does not view the issue as a safety-of-flight concern. "Our understanding is that pilots remain in full control of the aircraft, existing procedures provide effective mitigations, and the issue can be safely managed while GE and Boeing develop a permanent software update," a spokesperson said.

The FAA left the door open to further action, stating it "will consider appropriate action if it receives new information about this issue." For now, Boeing's path to certifying the Max 10 this year — and beginning deliveries of the Max 7 — rests on the accelerated software fix from GE Aerospace.