FAA restores Boeing authority to certify new 737 MAX and 787 jets
The Federal Aviation Administration said July 17 that Boeing may again issue airworthiness certificates for all new 737 MAX and 787 airplanes at the end of production. The decision took effect July 20, restoring a responsibility that had been restricted after earlier safety and production-quality concerns.
The change may reduce a certification bottleneck and make aircraft deliveries more predictable for airlines planning fleet changes. It does not guarantee that every carrier will receive planes immediately, or that flight schedules, route capacity or ticket prices will change automatically.
What changed
An airworthiness certificate is the final production-stage confirmation that an aircraft is safe to operate. Under the FAA’s decision, Boeing’s FAA-authorized Organization Designation Authorization, or ODA, unit can again issue those certificates for all newly produced 737 MAX and 787 jets.
The authority is delegated under federal rules. It is not unrestricted self-certification outside FAA control. ODA members may perform specified certification functions on the agency’s behalf, including inspecting an aircraft and reviewing certification data, but their work must follow FAA requirements and remain subject to agency oversight.
Why the FAA restored the authority
The FAA said Boeing and agency inspectors alternated certification duties for eight months after the agency allowed a limited return of the process in September 2025. During that period, the FAA said it found comparable production-quality results when certificates were issued by Boeing and when they were issued by government inspectors.
Based on those results, the agency concluded that Boeing could safely resume the responsibility under continued federal oversight. The finding does not mean future production will be free of defects; it means the FAA judged the certification process to be performing comparably during the review period.
What is not changing
FAA inspectors will continue factory inspections, audits and production monitoring. The agency said that work will include critical assembly activities, production-quality trends and compliance with approved aircraft designs and engineering requirements.
The FAA also said it will continue assessing Boeing’s Safety Management System and safety culture. Administrator Bryan Bedford said inspectors would focus more of their time on identifying and addressing potential risks earlier in the manufacturing process.
The FAA’s aircraft-certification guidance says manufacturers do not simply police themselves. Delegation allows authorized professionals inside an approved organization to perform specified FAA certification functions, while the agency retains oversight and remains directly involved in testing and certification of new and novel features.
Why airlines may care
Airlines generally cannot place a newly built aircraft into service until required certification and delivery steps are complete. Returning certificate issuance to Boeing may reduce delays at the end of the production line and help carriers plan fleet assignments, pilot training, maintenance and seasonal capacity with greater certainty.
Those effects will depend on Boeing’s broader production and delivery performance. The FAA’s decision does not remove separate production limits or resolve every manufacturing issue. Reuters reported that the agency has been monitoring Boeing’s efforts to increase 737 MAX output, while the Associated Press reported that federal inspectors will remain involved at Boeing’s factories.
How Boeing reached this point
The FAA stopped allowing Boeing to issue 737 MAX airworthiness certificates in 2019 after the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. The agency ended Boeing’s authority for 787 certificates in 2022 because of production-quality concerns.
In September 2025, the FAA allowed Boeing and agency inspectors to issue certificates for some 737 MAX and 787 airplanes on alternating weeks. The July 2026 decision expands Boeing’s authority to all new aircraft in both families.
What to watch next
The main accountability question is whether Boeing can sustain the production-quality performance that led to the FAA’s decision. Future inspection findings, audit results, delivery pace and any changes to Boeing’s production limits will show whether the restored authority is working as intended.
Reuters separately reported that the FAA had raised Boeing’s monthly 737 MAX production cap to 42 aircraft and supported a company plan to reach 47 per month. Those production decisions are separate from the restored certification authority. Reuters also reported expected timing for the MAX 7 and MAX 10, but those future certification actions should not be treated as completed because of the July decision.
For passengers, the immediate change is largely behind the scenes. It affects how new Boeing aircraft move through final certification and delivery; it does not by itself change the safety rules that airlines and aircraft must meet before a flight.
Sources
- Federal Aviation Administration: Boeing certification decision
- Associated Press: Boeing certification process
- Reuters: FAA restores Boeing certification authority
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