FAA Restores Boeing's Authority to Certify New 737 MAX and 787 Jets

Starting July 20, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will allow Boeing to resume issuing its own final airworthiness certifications for newly manufactured 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner airplanes. This decision marks the culmination of a multi-year process that began after two fatal MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 led the FAA to retain final certification authority for these models.

Since late September 2025, Boeing and the FAA have alternated weekly responsibility for certifying these aircraft, a system designed to evaluate Boeing’s production quality and compliance. After closely monitoring and comparing inspection results for eight months, the FAA concluded that Boeing inspections delivered findings comparable in quality to those by FAA inspectors.

Under the updated arrangement, Boeing will now assume responsibility for all routine final certifications of newly built 737 MAX and 787 jets. However, the FAA will maintain ongoing oversight functions, including production line inspections, audits, assembly monitoring, quality assurance reviews, and supervision of Boeing’s safety management culture.

The FAA initially withdrew Boeing’s delegated final certification authority for the 737 MAX after the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. The agency retained certification authority to ensure Boeing’s quality control and verification processes met regulatory standards before returning authority. A similar restriction was applied to Boeing’s 787 after discovery of multiple production defects raised concerns about Boeing’s inspection processes.

Attempts to reinstate Boeing’s certification authority earlier were delayed due to oversight findings and safety incidents including a 2024 door plug failure on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX. The partial return of authority in September 2025 introduced a shared certification schedule between Boeing and FAA inspectors, paving the way to this full restoration.

Delegated certification authority allows Boeing engineers certified under the FAA’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program to perform functions such as design approval, testing, and issuing airworthiness certificates on FAA’s behalf. While Boeing carries out these duties, legal certification authority remains with the FAA, which also audits and supervises Boeing’s compliance.

The FAA’s rationale for delegating authority stems from practical considerations. Boeing’s engineering workforce vastly exceeds the FAA’s, providing detailed knowledge of design and production that the agency could not replicate feasibly. Delegation enables the FAA to focus on strategic safety oversight rather than routine final inspections, improving regulatory efficiency while maintaining safety standards.

This restored authority does not include independent approval of new MAX variants like the MAX 7 or MAX 10, which remain fully under FAA certification control. The FAA emphasizes that it will continue robust oversight, including surveillance of Boeing’s production processes and corporate safety culture, ensuring accountability remains stringent despite delegation.

The FAA’s announcement reflects confidence based on data gathered during the past eight months of joint inspections, which showed comparable results between Boeing’s and FAA’s findings. Despite the past certification controversies surrounding the MAX, this resolution signals progress in reestablishing trust in Boeing’s quality control and certification processes for two of their most important commercial aircraft programs.