FAA restores Boeing’s ability to certify Max jets for flight more than 6 years after fatal crashes

The second Boeing 737 MAX airplane being built is on the assembly line in Renton, Wash., on Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Boeing is getting back the ability to perform final safety inspections on 737 Max jetliners and certify them for flight more than six years after crashes of the then-new model killed 346 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

The FAA said it decided to restore the aerospace company’s authorization to issue airworthiness certificates for Max and 787 Dreamliner passenger planes starting Monday following “a thorough review of Boeing’s ongoing production quality.”

Federal regulators took full control over 737 Max approvals in 2019, after the second of two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft. The FAA ended the company’s right to self-certify Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues.

Going forward, Boeing and FAA inspectors will take weekly turns performing the safety checks that are required before aircraft are cleared for delivery and declared safe to fly. The FAA said the arrangement will free up more of its inspectors to conduct “rigorous” quality checks on the production line at Boeing plants.

The Associated Press sent emailed requests Friday to Boeing for comment.

The company’s stock price was up about 4 per cent in afternoon trading, as the FAA announcement coincided with news about Boeing securing two more orders from foreign airlines.

Turkiye’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, said Friday that it planned to buy 75 Dreamliners and wants to eventually buy up to 150 more 737 Max jets. Boeing said the Max purchase would be the largest single order for its best-selling aircraft, if the deal is finalized.

Norwegian Group, the aviation company that operates Norwegian Air Shuttle and regional airline Widerøe, also placed an order for 30 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, Boeing said Friday.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House this year, his administration has made Boeing a focus of its plans to revive U.S. manufacturing. A number of international airlines have signed sales agreements with Boeing in recent months.

Some Boeing critics have questioned how meaningfully the company has reformed its culture and processes to ensure the passenger planes it produces are safe.

The FAA announced earlier this month that it was seeking US$3.1 million in fines from Boeing over alleged safety violations between September 2023 and February 2024, including a blowout of a paneled-over exit door on a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight.

After the January 2024 Alaska Airlines incident, the FAA capped Boeing’s production of Max jets to 38 per month. In practice, the production rate fell well below that ceiling last year as the company contended with investigations and a machinists’ strike that idled factories for almost eight weeks.

The company said in July that it reached the monthly cap in the second quarter and would eventually seek the FAA’s permission to increase production.

The FAA said in a Friday statement that if Boeing requests an increase, “onsite FAA safety inspectors will conduct extensive planning and reviews with Boeing to determine if they can safely produce more airplanes.”

Rio Yamat, The Associated Press