Boeing’s 737 Max 10 approved for passenger service after years of delays: FAA says
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FAA → approve → delays
Boeing’s 737 Max 10 airliner has been approved for passenger service after years of delays, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday.
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Administration → approve → delays
The Max 10’s certification represents another milestone in Boeing’s efforts to restore its reputation and financial footing after years of safety, quality and production challenges.
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certification → represent → challenges
With production approved, the aircraft can now be sold to domestic and foreign carriers.
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aircraft → approve → carriers
“After extensive safety reviews – including thousands of hours of test flights – the team at the FAA is ready to approve this critical aircraft for sale,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
“This is a major win for American manufacturing and our nation’s status as a global aviation powerhouse.”
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This → include → powerhouse
Duffy is expected to speak about the decision later Tuesday during a visit to Boeing’s manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington.
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Duffy → expect → Everett
The Max 10 is an important piece of Boeing’s effort to regain ground in the narrow-body market.
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Max → regain → market
For airlines, the larger plane offers a way to carry more passengers on a single flight, potentially lowering costs per seat.
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plane → offer → seat
For travelers, it could eventually mean more seats on popular routes, though the impact on fares will depend on how airlines deploy the planes and how much competition they face.
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they → mean → competition
The single-aisle jet, which can have up to 230 seats, was introduced at the Paris air show in 2017 to help Boeing compete with rival Airbus.
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Boeing → have → Airbus
But technical and regulatory hurdles repeatedly delayed certification of the largest version of Boeing’s bestselling 737 family.
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hurdles → delay → family
Boeing said in its 2020 annual report that it expected to make the plane’s first delivery in 2023.
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it → say → 2023
The company now expects to begin deliveries in 2027.
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company → expect → 2027
The delays have held up a key part of Boeing’s business.
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delays → hold → business
Speaking at an investors conference last month, CEO Kelly Ortberg said the Max 10 accounted for roughly 30% of Boeing’s 737 backlog.
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Ortberg → speak → backlog
The company’s website lists its total 737 backlog at more than 4,500 aircraft.
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website → list → aircraft
The Max 10’s certification completes the lineup of four 737 Max models.
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certification → complete → models
The FAA cleared the smaller Max 7 for airline operations in August.
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FAA → clear → August
Boeing’s struggles have been particularly acute since two deadly crashes involving the smaller Max 8 killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019 off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia.
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crashes → involve → Ethiopia
The Max 10 is intended to compete with Airbus’s A321neo model family, which entered service in 2017.
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which → intend → 2017
The largest A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refueling than the Max 10.
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A321neo → carry → Max
Still, Boeing designed the Max 10 to carry more passengers while burning less fuel than older aircraft — a potentially attractive combination for airlines facing soaring jet fuel costs amid the U.S. war with Iran.
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Boeing → design → Iran
Those rising costs have put added pressure on airlines to control expenses.
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costs → rise → expenses
Certification means the FAA has determined that the Max 10’s design meets safety standards, following engineering reviews and flight testing.
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design → mean → reviews
But Boeing must continue to show it can consistently build the aircraft to the approved design, and each plane must be cleared before it can fly passengers.
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it → continue → passengers
In the wake of the fatal Max 8 crashes, the FAA overhauled how it certifies Boeing aircraft.
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it → overhaul → aircraft
But over the past 18 months, the agency has gradually eased some of its restrictions on the company, increasing the limit on how many planes Boeing can produce.
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Boeing → ease → planes
In July, the FAA also said Boeing could once again issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 Max and 787 planes at the end of production, allowing the company to take back some responsibility for determining whether finished aircraft are ready to fly.
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aircraft → say → responsibility
Boeing’s Everett site offers additional flexibility because the Max 10 is longer than other variants of the 737 Max family.
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Max → offer → family
Ortberg said the aircraft could not be arranged nose-to-tail on its production line in Renton, Washington, where Boeing builds the 737, but could be accommodated in Everett.
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Report → say → news
That would allow Boeing to produce a greater mix of longer aircraft as it ramps up production, Ortberg said.
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Ortberg → allow → production
Major customers for the Max 10 include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair.
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customers → include → Airlines
Alaska Airlines joined that list in January, ordering 105 Max 10s, with options for 35 more.
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Airlines → join → 35
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