EVERETT — The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce, today, 737 Max 10 certification with an in-person appearance at the North Line production facility at The Boeing Company’s Paine Field plant involving U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, according to Reuters.
Certification clears Boeing to deliver a backlog of nearly 1500 Max 10 planes to customers which will generate billions in sale to bolster the jet maker’s earnings and balance sheet. Demand for the Max 10, in the Boeing commercial jet line-up, is second only to the Max 8. Backlog valuation estimates for the Max 10 range from $82.5 billion to $112.5 billion. Most aviation analysts cite that customers end up negotiating the Max 10 sale price downward from the $134.9 million list price.
FAA certification is also expected to allow Boeing to increase 737 Max production between Renton and Everett plants to 52 jets a month in early 2027 and an expected 57 jets per month by mid-2027. The Max 10 was initially set to be FAA certified in 2020 but equipment adjustments–including a redesign of the engine anti-ice system–and several FAA exemptions, stretched the approval process to six years, resulting in the massive backlog of jets that couldn’t be delivered without the FAA final approval.
Aviation analyst Earnest Arvai writes, this is particularly important as Boeing has one more program, the 777X series, in development and needs to complete the certification that will likely be seven years late early by mid-2027. At that point, Boeing can take a short breather before developing the next generation narrow-body model for introduction in the mid 2030s.
Arvai says, with the Max 10 certification achieved and only the 777-X remaining, Boeing’s FAA “to do” list primarily involves the 777-9 and 777-8F having substantial order books. The timeline for those approvals, he predicts, would be completed in 2027 and 2029, respectively, barring any further engine delays. He concludes, the relationship between Boeing and the FAA, which deteriorated dramatically after the 737 MAX 8 crashes and the Alaska Airlines door-plug blow out, appears to be improving since CEO, Kelly Ortberg, took over.
With an infusion of customer cash now expected to roll in with the FAA certification of Max 10s being delivered to buyers, anticipation will shift to Boeing stock price and next week’s 3rd quarter earnings results. Boeing will release its financial results for the third quarter of 2026 on October 27. Howard Hardee, editor at Leeham News and Analysis, anticipates the FAA certification would likely excite investors. Currently, the company’s stock price is down more than 10% year-over-year.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is the longest and highest-capacity member of the 737 family, a stretch of the 737 MAX 9 built to compete with the Airbus A321neo. It seats up to 230 passengers and has orders from airlines including United, Alaska, Delta and Ryanair. Flight testing ended in July 2026. In late September, the FAA put certification on hold while it reviewed a flight-guidance software issue which was subsequently been cleared for operation.
In a separate Boeing development, the jet-plane maker announced, in partnership with Microsoft, a new AI-powered data intelligence platform designed to help airlines unlock greater value from their aviation data. The AI-platform, dubbed, Dataliner, transforms fragmented data into connected, fleet-wide intelligence that supports smarter maintenance and operational decisions.
Dataliner combines aviation data, AI and Boeing’s deep aircraft and engineering expertise, enabling airlines to move beyond isolated data, transitioning from looking at data for each individual aircraft to gaining a more complete understanding of their fleets.
Boeing’s new AI-powered platform Dataliner combines aviation data with Boeing’s aircraft insights to deliver fleet-wide intelligence and effective operational decisions. (Boeing photo)
Built in partnership with Microsoft, leveraging Azure AI as well as other technologies, Dataliner allows airlines to keep data in their own environments while enriching it with Boeing and industry intelligence. Airlines maintain control over what they share and can access Boeing intelligence through applications, APIs, analytics and AI-enabled experiences.
“Airlines have more data available to them than ever before, but turning that data into meaningful action remains a challenge,” said Lindsey Douglas, vice president, Cabin, Modifications, Maintenance and Digital Services, Boeing Global Services. “Dataliner is an important step in how Boeing is bringing its aircraft expertise and digital capabilities together to help customers anticipate maintenance needs, identify emerging risks and take timely action.”
“By combining Boeing’s OEM and aviation expertise with Microsoft’s trusted data and AI technologies, Dataliner gives airlines a secure, scalable foundation to turn fragmented data into fleet-wide intelligence,” said Chris Barry, President, U.S. Public Sector Industries, Microsoft.
According to Boeing, the major benefits of the AI-platform include, fleet-wide intelligence, a more complete view of aircraft condition, maintenance history and operations to support better-informed decisions. Data security and governance with built-in access controls, encryption and monitoring to help protect sensitive aviation data. Flexible, on-demand data sharing without requiring airlines to centralize their data on a single platform.