FAA lets Boeing resume certifying 737 Max and 787 jets after review

Newyork,UPDATED: Jul 18, 2026 00:32 IST

Boeing will be allowed to take responsibility for certifying all of its 737 Max and 787 planes from next week, the US Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday after a months-long review. The agency said Boeing's final safety checks were now strong enough to ensure the aircraft were airworthy.

The move marks a further easing of restrictions placed on Boeing after safety and production concerns in recent years. Since September, Boeing and the FAA had been taking weekly turns carrying out the checks required before aircraft are cleared for delivery and declared safe to fly.

The FAA said both Boeing and government inspectors had been reaching similar findings while issuing airworthiness certificates. Federal regulators had taken full control of 737 Max approvals in 2019 after the second of two crashes later blamed on a new software system developed by Boeing for the aircraft. The FAA also ended Boeing's right to self-certify 787 Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues.

"Safety drives everything we do, and this step forward is only possible because we are confident it can be done safely," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. Government inspectors will continue to oversee Boeing's factories, but Bedford said they will now be able to focus more on finding and addressing potential defects earlier in the manufacturing process. Boeing did not immediately respond to the FAA's announcement.

Over the past year, the FAA has also been easing the monthly production limits it imposed on Boeing's 737 Max jets after a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight in January 2024. That cap has gradually risen from 38 aircraft a month to 47 a month this summer, as the FAA said Boeing will resume certifying all of its 737 Max and 787 planes from next week under continued federal oversight.

With PTI Inputs

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