FAA Restores Boeing’s Authority to Issue Airworthiness Certificates for 737 MAX and 787

The Federal Aviation Administration has restored Boeing’s authority to issue airworthiness certificates for all 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, effective July 20, 2026. It’s the first major relaxation of heightened oversight imposed after the 737 MAX crashes and subsequent production quality issues.

The FAA announced the decision on July 17, following an eight-month safety review. During that period, Boeing and agency inspectors issued airworthiness certificates on alternating weeks. The FAA found that Boeing’s internal quality findings aligned consistently with government standards—a sign the manufacturer had sufficient production control to handle certification responsibility again.

“Safety drives everything we do, and this step forward is only possible because we are confident it can be done safely,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in the announcement.

The authorization excludes the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10, which haven’t yet received final type certification. Boeing expects MAX 7 certification this summer, with MAX 10 approval to follow within the next year.

Timeline of Regulatory Action

The FAA prohibited Boeing from issuing 737 MAX airworthiness certificates in 2019 following the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, which claimed 346 lives. A 20-month worldwide grounding followed before MAX deliveries resumed in November 2020.

Then in February 2022, the FAA similarly revoked Boeing’s 787 airworthiness authority due to production quality concerns. The January 2024 Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door-plug separation incident brought renewed scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and quality systems. The FAA partially restored certificate-issuing authority in September 2025 through the alternating-week pilot program before announcing full restoration this week.

Production Momentum and North Line

The decision comes as Boeing expands operations at its Everett, Washington facility. A new $1 billion production line—the “North Line”—became operational July 6, 2026, dedicated to assembling 737 MAX 8, 9, and 10 variants. The first aircraft through the facility is a 737 MAX 8 headed for Canadian carrier WestJet.

The North Line lets Boeing increase 737 MAX production from the current 47 aircraft per month to 52 monthly, matching the company’s highest pre-crash production rate in 2018. Boeing accumulated 314 first-half deliveries—a 12 percent increase over the same period in 2025 and the highest first-half total since 2018.

With a 737 MAX backlog exceeding 4,300 aircraft, production is set to sustain well into the 2030s at current rates.

Oversight and Industry Context

The FAA stressed that restoring certification authority doesn’t mean less regulatory scrutiny. Inspectors will continue rigorous oversight of Boeing’s production, audits, and compliance monitoring, with renewed focus on identifying and addressing risks earlier in the manufacturing process rather than at final certification.

“During the past eight months, the FAA has seen comparable production quality findings when Boeing issued airworthiness certificates and when the FAA issued them. Based on these results, the FAA determined it can safely return this responsibility to Boeing,” the agency stated.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told Reuters that Boeing is “doing much better” and that the agency’s goal has been “not to soften our regulatory compliance requirements at Boeing but to be more collaborative in the decision-making process.”

The restoration reflects confidence in Boeing’s corrective actions implemented after the January 2024 door-plug incident and broader manufacturing reforms. Still, the delegation of certification authority remains a focal point of post-MAX oversight debate.

Sources

• FAA Newsroom — After Months of Safety Review, FAA Allows Boeing to Resume Issuing Certificates for New Airplanes
• Boeing Official Website
• Reuters — FAA Restores Boeing Airworthiness Authority
• FlightGlobal — Boeing North Line Production Facility
• CNBC — Boeing Delivery and Production Rate Updates