WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will allow Boeing to certify all of its 737 MAX and 787 aircraft as airworthy starting next week. The decision follows months of joint safety review between the plane maker and federal regulators.
The move restores certification authority that Boeing lost after two fatal 737 MAX crashes and later production quality concerns. Oversight had intensified further after a door panel detached from an Alaska Airlines (AS) 737 MAX 9 during a flight in January 2024.
Regulators Return Final Safety Sign-Off to Boeing
The FAA said on Friday that Boeing’s final safety checks are strong enough to confirm its aircraft are airworthy. The agency reached this conclusion after months of close review.
Since September, Boeing and the FAA had been taking weekly turns performing the safety checks required before an aircraft can be delivered and declared safe to fly.
The agency said both the manufacturer and government inspectors were producing similar findings when issuing airworthiness certificates. That consistency gave regulators confidence to return the sign-off responsibility to Boeing.
Why the FAA Took Control of Certification
Federal regulators took full control over 737 MAX approvals in 2019. The action came after the second of two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft.
The FAA also ended Boeing’s right to self-certify 787 Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues.
Both decisions placed the final airworthiness authority in the hands of government inspectors rather than the company.
Oversight of Boeing Factories Continues
Government inspectors will continue to monitor Boeing’s factories under the new arrangement. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said inspectors will now be able to focus more on finding and addressing potential defects earlier in the manufacturing process.
“Safety drives everything we do, and this step forward is only possible because we are confident it can be done safely,” Bedford said.
Boeing said it will keep working to improve safety across its operations. “Boeing will continue to work under the oversight of the FAA in building safe, high-quality commercial airplanes that comply with all airworthiness certification requirements,” the company said in a statement.
Production Limits Ease for the 737 MAX
Over the past year, the FAA has also been easing the monthly production caps it placed on Boeing’s 737 MAX jets.
The agency imposed those limits after a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 midflight in January 2024.
The cap has gradually risen from 38 aircraft per month to 47 per month this summer. The steady increase reflects growing regulatory confidence in Boeing’s production and safety systems.
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