# FAA approves Boeing's 737 Max 10 for passenger flights

> After nearly a decade of delays, the Federal Aviation Administration has certified Boeing's largest 737 Max jet for commercial service.
- Title: FAA approves Boeing's 737 Max 10 for passenger flights · NPR
- Summary: After nearly a decade of delays, the Federal Aviation Administration has certified Boeing's largest 737 Max jet for commercial service. The FAA certified…
- Keywords: boeing, 737 max 10, faa, aircraft certification, commercial aviation, airlines, news, approves, Boeing's, 737, Max, passenger
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/10/21/g-s1-149032/faa-boeing-737-max-10
- Published: 2026-10-21T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: boeing, 737 max 10, faa, aircraft certification, commercial aviation, airlines, news
## Nearly a decade to certification
The Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing's 737 Max 10 for passenger service on Tuesday, October twenty, twenty twenty-six, ending years of delays since the plane was unveiled.
## A milestone for Boeing's recovery
The certification represents a major milestone in Boeing's effort to restore its reputation and financial footing after years of safety, quality and production challenges.
## Extensive safety reviews completed
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the certification followed extensive safety reviews, including thousands of hours of test flights, and called it a major win for American manufacturing.

> To think that it took us almost ten years to get here.
## Larger capacity than earlier models
The Max ten will typically seat one hundred eighty-five to two hundred ten passengers, compared with one hundred seventy-five to one hundred ninety-five on the Max nine and one hundred sixty to one hundred eighty…
## Massive backlog awaits delivery
More than thirty customers worldwide have ordered one thousand five hundred fifty-five Max tens that Boeing has yet to deliver, accounting for more than thirty percent of its total seven thirty seven Max backlog.
## Major airlines on the order list
Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair. Alaska Airlines joined the list in January, ordering one hundred five Max tens, with options for thirty-five more.
## FAA eases restrictions on Boeing
Over the past eighteen months, the FAA has gradually eased some of its restrictions on Boeing, increasing the limit on how many planes it can produce and allowing it to issue airworthiness certificates.
## Deliveries to begin in twenty twenty-seven
Boeing expects to begin deliveries of the Max ten in twenty twenty-seven, completing the lineup of four seven thirty seven Max models after the Max seven was cleared in August.
## Key takeaway

The FAA certified Boeing's 737 Max 10 for passenger service on October twenty, twenty twenty-six, ending years of delays and allowing the company to begin deliveries in twenty twenty-seven.