Boeing chief executive David Calhoun thinks the company could have its 737 Max 7 and Max 10 certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration in the first half of 2025, while cautioning that the regulator will determine ultimate timing.
Calhoun laid out the timeframe on 31 July, saying Boeing has made progress in redesigning the types’ engine anti-ice system, which has been holding up the certifications.
Asked during Boeing’s second-quarter earnings call if the Max 7 and 10’s approval could come in the first half of next year, Calhoun responds, “Sounds realistic to me… But [the FAA] is in charge”.
Boeing executives have previously estimated that the Max 7, the smallest variant of the narrowbody jet, will be certificated in 2025. But the approval timeline for the Max 10, the largest variant, has been more unclear.
Both certification programmes are badly delayed, partly due to increased scrutiny from the FAA, which hiked oversight in the wake of criticism about its certification of the Max 8 and Max 9.
Boeing in January took another delay to the Max 7 and 10 programmes, saying it needed to redesign the types’ engine anti-ice system due to an overheating problem. Executives said at the time that the redesign would take about one year. Boeing also intends to install the new system on in-service Max 8s and 9s.
Asked about progress on 31 July, Calhoun called the anti-ice system the only “discrete item” holding up certification. He expressed a “high level of confidence” that the company will complete the system’s engineering work before year-end.
“I don’t think there are any other… issues that we have to contend with other than to get that done and prove it out,” says Calhoun. The anti-ice system should be “implemented and certified in 2025 to support the first delivery of our Dash Seven and Dash 10 in the Max family”.
