Regulators in the United States are trying to make one point unmistakably clear: the Federal Aviation Administration says it is not the main obstacle standing between Boeing and long delayed approvals for the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10. As pressure builds from airlines, investors and politicians, the agency is publicly stressing that the remaining work sits squarely with the planemaker, not with the rulebook.
The debate over who is holding up certification of the smallest and largest members of the MAX family comes at a pivotal moment for Boeing and for global short haul aviation. With airlines counting on new narrowbody capacity and the memory of The MAX crashes still shaping public trust, the path that Jan officials at the FAA and Boeing now choose will help define how quickly the 737 M backlog turns into flying aircraft rather than paper orders.
FAA chief pushes back on blame for MAX 7 and 10 delays
In WASHINGTON, Jan statements from the head of the Feder aviation regulator have been unusually blunt, with the official insisting that the FAA is not the roadblock to Boeing MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification. The agency has told Jan audiences that Boeing still has to do more work on the MAX program before the smallest and largest variants can be approved, underscoring that the regulator will not compress its process simply to meet corporate timelines, according to one detailed account of the FAA stance. That message is echoed in a separate Jan summary that again stresses the FAA view that Boeing MAX work remains outstanding and that the agency is not the primary barrier to the approvals, reinforcing how firmly the regulator wants to shift responsibility back to Boeing.
That pushback has been amplified in more informal channels as well. On Instagram, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has been quoted pushing back on the idea that regulators are the holdup, with Jan posts highlighting his argument that the agency is following its standard process and that Boeing still has two 737 M variants waiting for approval before airlines can begin flying the jet in early 2027, a timeline that underscores how much work remains on the MAX 7 and. A companion Jan post again cites FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford pushing back on the narrative that the agency is dragging its feet, reinforcing the message that the FAA, not Boeing, is being unfairly cast as the bottleneck in the certification debate.
Regulator insists Boeing still has work to finish
Behind the rhetoric, the FAA is spelling out in more technical terms what it believes still needs to be done. The Federal Aviation Administration has publicly stated on Facebook that it does not consider itself the main barrier to the delayed certification of the new 737 M variants and that Boeing must complete remaining work before the agency can sign off, a message that sits alongside reminders that the MAX family has more than 1,200 orders waiting to be delivered to airlines around the world, according to a Jan post shared on Facebook. In more detailed technical reporting, the FAA has said Boeing must complete remaining work to certify the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10, with Jan coverage explaining that Certification of the two models has also been affected by heightened regulatory scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and quality processes, a reminder that the company is still working through the legacy of earlier safety crises as it seeks to restore confidence.
A separate Jan analysis from Air Data News reiterates that the FAA says Boeing must complete remaining work to certify 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 and again highlights that Certification of the two models has also been affected by heightened regulatory scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and quality processes, underscoring how deeply the regulator is now involved in oversight of the 737 M program after earlier failures, according to Air Data News. In that context, the FAA’s insistence that it is not the bottleneck reads less like a defensive soundbite and more like a signal that the regulator expects Boeing to meet a higher bar on documentation, testing and quality control before any new MAX variant carries paying passengers.
Boeing’s timeline, testing progress and airline pressure
For its part, Boeing has been telling investors and customers that the finish line is in sight. Jan reporting notes that Boeing executives have previously said they expect to finish certification this year for the MAX 7 and 10, describing the smallest and largest members of the family as key to the company’s strategy and telling audiences that both aircraft will be certified this year, according to one detailed account of the company guidance. A separate Jan travel industry report frames that ambition even more directly, with Boeing Expects to Certify 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 Aircraft This Year and highlighting that the company has a significant number of MAX 10 in its backlog alone, a reminder that airlines have already committed heavily to the new variants.
On the technical side, Boeing’s largest 737 MAX variant, the Boeing 737 MAX 10, has reached the next phase of certification with the US Federal Aviation authorities, with Jan coverage explaining that the aircraft has begun final flight tests even as de icing problems persist and could extend further into 2026, according to a detailed account of the flight test campaign. A separate Jan summary of the same testing phase again notes that Boeing’s largest 737 MAX variant, the Boeing 737 MAX 10, has reached the next phase of certification with the US Federal Aviation authorities and that de icing problems could extend further into 2026, underscoring how even as the program advances, technical snags continue to shape the timeline.
Legacy of The MAX crashes and tougher oversight
The regulatory hard line is rooted in a painful recent history. The MAX crashes of 2018 and 2019, attributed to Boeing deliberately withholding key information about its MCAS software from the FAA, still loom over every discussion of the 737 M, with Jan analysis arguing that this legacy has reshaped how regulators and airlines view Boeing and has forced carriers to keep their aging aircraft for longer while they wait for new deliveries, according to a detailed breakdown of The MAX history. A separate Jan commentary on why Boeing could dominate 2026 again stresses that The MAX crashes of 2018 and 2019, attributed to Boeing deliberately withholding key information about its MCAS software from the FAA, have driven regulators to impose stricter oversight and have made airlines more cautious about fleet renewal decisions, reinforcing why the FAA is now so determined to show that it is not cutting corners on MAX approvals.
That context helps explain why independent analysts are still asking whether the new variants will be cleared this year at all. A Jan feature titled Will the Boeing 737 MAX 10 and 7 be certified in 2026 poses the question directly, asking What’s holding up certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 and noting that, despite strict regulatory oversight on the 737 M program, some industry voices still believe the aircraft will be certified in 2026, while also recounting how, from prolonged groundings to design changes, airlines have been forced to wait for long delayed deliveries, according to Aerospace Global News. A companion Jan analysis from the same outlet again asks Will the Boeing 737 MAX 10 and 7 be certified in 2026 and repeats the question What’s holding up certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10, while also referencing Boein and the 737 M program, underscoring how even supporters of the aircraft acknowledge that the certification path remains uncertain.
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