Boeing’s Aircraft Certification Is About To Change

As Boeing battles ongoing complexities in certifying aircraft such as the 737-7, 737-10, and 777X family, the way certification occurs will likely change forever.

At the beginning of the 2024 calendar year, the Federal Aviation Administration enhanced its oversight into key practices at the American planemaker spurred on by a door blowout incident that revealed greater quality issues than initially thought.

That increased oversight has not only seen enhanced focus on the planemaker’s production practises but also a greater degree of care taken to approve aircraft.

While this has positive ramifications in ensuring planes are certified in the safest manner possible for their eventual entry into service, it now takes longer. This has a knock-on effect on the manufacturer producing the plane and airlines expecting to receive their aircraft.

Now, the process of certifying planes is expected to change following fresh comments from Mike Whitaker, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Chief.

In the past, the consensus through investigations was the healthy relationship between Boeing and the FAA allowed the planemaker, more often than not, to certify key parts of its aircraft, leading to quality control complications.

However, Whitaker has stated that the approach will now focus on streamlining fundamental elements to ensure that oversight can be achieved. At the same time, the process can be conducted promptly.

Furthermore, the FAA is looking to invest heavily in updated technology to become more efficient in the certification process and gain greater control from the beginning.

The regulator feels that if it intervenes at an early stage in the approval process rather than towards the end, it’ll be able to understand how each step is conducted and create a suitable pathway for all parties.

In essence, the FAA wants greater access to the certification process for companies like Boeing. However, it also knows that such increased oversight, with the trade-off of a reduced production rate, cannot continue forever.

The regulator needs to see improvements from Boeing and invest in itself to ensure quality issues aren’t slipping through. With time, the American manufacturer can begin returning to normality with rates and certification.

Boeing Certification Woes With 737 MAX & 777X

The certification processes are heavily emphasised as Boeing still has not received approval for three core aircraft types.

The smallest variant is the 737-7, part of the MAX series that should have been certified three years ago if all had gone according to plan.

However, complications with the certification process and Boeing’s persistent quality control issues have continuously delayed the approval, leading to frustrations at the planemaker and airlines expecting the plane.

Certification of this 737-7 is crucial, however, as it’ll allow for the approval of the also uncertified 737-10, the largest member of the series with significant capacity increases and set to play a role for many airlines.

Unfortunately, because of certification delays, many airlines have already cancelled 737-10 orders and swapped them for approved variants. These companies made the difficult decision because they were unsure when they would receive their planes.

Some companies, such as Delta and other prominent figures, have stated that the goalposts for delivery have continued to move. While certification could occur in 2025, they don’t expect the plane to be in service until the end of 2026.

For some other airlines, the expectations have also been impossible to meet, leading to dramatic cuts in growth targets. This is seen with United Airlines, a big supporter of the 737 MAX program.

The 777X is also included in this. That upcoming long-haul jet also has its challenges, and now, a recent delay will see it only enter service in 2026 at best.