Boeing 737 Max 10 certification faces FAA delay over software glitch

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Boeing 737 Max 10 FAA delay

Highlights

Boeing 737 Max 10 certification delayed by FAA due to a software glitch in a navigation function that emerged after a November 2024 update.
Boeing shares dropped 6 per cent to $184 on Monday after the setback, with the Max 10 accounting for over 50 per cent of all 737 Max orders since 2020.
FAA review could delay deliveries of both the Max 10 and potentially the Max 7 as major carriers await approval amid rising operating costs driven by the Iran war.

FAA review extends certification timeline

As first reported by Financial Times, citing The Wall Street Journal, U.S. regulators are delaying certification of Boeing’s 737 Max 10 after a software glitch emerged in an automated navigation function on some 737 aircraft.

Federal Aviation Administration head Bryan Bedford says the agency will not approve the Max 10 until it is satisfied there is no issue with the system. In a statement, the FAA says safety dictates the certification timeline and that it is following its review process to investigate the glitch and will take action if needed.

The problem can occur when pilots need to change their planned flight path after an aborted landing. Boeing says it has informed all 737 operators using the software that pilots may not have access to automated flight guidance during a specific landing scenario, adding that all pilots are trained to land safely without automated vertical navigation.

The glitch is linked to a software update made in November 2024. Since then, Boeing has delivered 801 737 Max jets, although not all of them include the affected software.

Pressure builds on Boeing and airline customers

Shares in Boeing fall 6 per cent on Monday to $184 after the latest certification setback. The Max 10 is the largest variant in the 737 Max family and is seen as important to Boeing’s balance sheet recovery after the fallout from the 2018 and 2019 fatal crashes and the 2024 door blowout.

The aircraft accounts for more than 50 per cent of all 737 Max orders since 2020, while the broader Max programme makes up more than 70 per cent of Boeing’s total order backlog of 6,755 aircraft at the end of August. Boeing says it continues to follow the lead of the FAA as it works through the certification process.

Major carriers including Alaska, American, United and Ryanair have been waiting years for the model’s approval, while airlines are seeking to expand capacity and cut operating costs as the war in Iran pushes up fuel prices. Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu says an FAA Corrective Action Board could take days or weeks to assess the issue, and a finding that it is a safety problem could also delay deliveries of the smaller Max 7, which the FAA certified in August.

WestJet says it has aircraft using the affected software but has not experienced any in-service events and is working closely with Boeing. The planemaker remains under close scrutiny following the two fatal 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people and led to the model’s worldwide grounding.

Our earlier coverage of the Boeing 737 Max 10 certification process explained that the FAA had slowed approval after identifying a new software bug that could disrupt automated landing guidance during go-arounds. We noted that regulators were still assessing whether the issue is safety-critical, while Boeing said it was working through the review process and airlines reported no in-service events with aircraft running the affected software.

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