Boeing’s long-delayed 737 MAX 10 – expected to be the largest MAX variant – completed its final planned certification flight test this week.
The aerospace manufacturer said the final test flight confirmed audibility of the aircraft’s lavatory smoke detector and cabin speaker system, ensuring crews can detect and respond to onboard alerts. The airplane took off from and landed at Boeing Field in Washington.
The MAX 10 has now logged 976 flights totaling more than 2,060 flight hours and about 1,040 ground test hours. The yearslong campaign successfully validated the full spectrum of aircraft certification requirements, Boeing said, including main landing gear, brakes on wet runways and maximum‑energy stops, the 737 engine anti‑ice solution, and the enhanced angle of attack system.
The 737 MAX 10 team will now focus on closing the remaining development assurance reviews and system safety assessments and submitting final deliverables to the FAA for regulatory review. Boeing said the team is working toward certification in 2026, with commercial deliveries expected to begin in 2027.
“Reaching this milestone is a huge testament to the commitment and dedication of the entire team,” Chris Payne, vice president and general manager of 737 development programs at Boeing, said in a news release. “Thank you to everyone who gave so much of themselves to get us here. This is an important step on our journey, and we’re focused on building on it as we move forward.”
Boeing initially planned to deliver the first MAX 10s in 2020, but the global grounding of all MAX variants in 2019, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and persistent problems with the type’s anti-ice system caused repeated delays. Progress toward certification has picked up over the last two years, though the target delivery date has continued to slip back, most recently to early 2027.
