Boeing Commercial Airplanes started assembly operations recently at its new 737 MAX production line in Everett, Wash., which may not be the best news for the OEM this month. Several reports now indicate that the Federal Aviation Administration will in the very near future grant certification for Boeing’s 737 MAX 7 aircraft, the third in its narrow-body jet series and one of two awaiting FAA certification.

Neither FAA nor Boeing has confirmed the certification news.

Certification for the new 737 MAX 7 and 10 variants has been anticipated for several years, delayed most recently by the FAA’s multi-month, onsite supervision of Boeing’s manufacturing processes following a January 2024 in-flight structural failure aboard an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9.

The 737 MAX 7 is the smallest of four variants of the Boeing’s best-selling series, with room for 138-153 passengers in its typical configuration, and a range of 3,850 nautical miles (7,130 km / 4,430 miles.)

Southwest Airlines is the largest customer for the new aircraft, with unfilled orders in place for 258 MAX 7 jets.

The 737 MAX 10 is the largest of the series. In its Q1 2026 statement, Boeing detailed that the 737 MAX 10 is in the final stage of certification flight testing for new aircraft, FAA’s Type Inspection Authorization 2, which precedes authorization of the aircraft’s conformity and airworthiness inspections. FAA certification for the 737 MAX 10 is expected later this year.

Reuters reported in June that the FAA’s counterpart the European Air Safety Authority is moving toward 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification on a similar pace.