Boeing could miss the year-end deadline to certify the 737 MAX 10 aircraft, the longest variant of the 738 MAX family jets, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned.
According to sources, cited by Reuters on March 25, 2022, the FAA doubts whether the Boeing 737 MAX 10 plane will manage to meet directives drawn up by the Congress of the United States in 2020, which reformed how the FAA certifies new planes and imposed new safety standards for flight deck alerts.
The FAA is reportedly concerned that it will be difficult for the American plane manufacturer to meet the set directives by the end of 2022, and asked Boeing to provide a “mature certification schedule”. Boeing will need to make all updates before the 737 MAX 10 can be approved by the American aviation regulator and enter passenger service in the US.
Design of the 737 MAX 10 is currently under development.
Boeing confirmed to the media that it will continue “working transparently with the FAA”, aiming to provide the necessary information to the regulator. The manufacturer also claimed that it remains committed to meeting the FAA’s expectations of the 737 MAX certification.
If the FAA does not certify the 737 MAX 10 before the end of the year, only Congress can extend the deadline.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10, which is the longest version of MAX family aircraft, was launched in June 2017. The aircraft made its maiden flight in June 2021, initiating its flight test and certification program. In early 2021, the manufacturer said that it expected aircraft deliveries to start in 2023.