By Dan Catchpole
SEATTLE, July 16 (Reuters) - Boeing is in the final stages of getting regulatory certification for an engine anti-ice system fix for its 737 MAX jetliner, company executives said, paving the way for the long-delayed MAX 7 and 10 versions to enter service.
The redesign addresses an issue that could cause overheating and possible engine failure and has been the biggest obstacle to certification of the smallest and largest versions of Boeing's best-selling jet.
Boeing has already built
about 30 MAX 7s and nine MAX 10s awaiting delivery, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The larger MAX 10 accounts for at least 28% of outstanding MAX orders.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in May it expected to certify the smaller 737 MAX 7 this summer. Southwest Airlines is the biggest customer for that version.
The more profitable MAX 10 is 98% through certification flight testing, executives told reporters ahead of next week's Farnborough Airshow.
"We have two flight tests left, and we should be done real soon here," said Chris Payne, Boeing vice president and general manager for 737 MAX development programs.
YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE
Certification of the MAX 7 and 10 is years behind schedule, which has allowed European planemaker Airbus to expand its lead in the narrowbody market.
Boeing has had to work through a more stringent certification process following two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, as well as scrutiny of the company's production and quality systems after a January 2024 mid-air cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.
After the anti-ice system issue was discovered in 2021, regulators allowed the MAX variants already in service - the MAX 8, 8-200 and 9 - to continue flying and for Boeing to keep making them but delayed certification of the other versions.
The fix to the system also reduces engine noise and mitigates fan flutter, based on testing at GE Aerospace's facility in Ohio, said Mike Sinnett, Boeing's senior vice president of product strategy, product development and development programs.
"It was kind of win-win all around," he said.
The 737 MAX's LEAP-1B engine is produced by CFM International, a joint venture of GE Aerospace and France's Safran.
For the existing MAX fleet, Boeing says most of the engine anti-ice retrofit can be done within a maintenance shift, but it also requires installing new wiring that is more invasive.
Executives said Boeing was working with regulators on a schedule that would allow airlines to make the repair when their planes are already in the hangar for heavy maintenance checks, reducing disruption and costs.
The MAX 10 will also introduce an updated flight crew alerting system, known as an enhanced angle-of-attack system, to meet safety requirements imposed by Congress following the two MAX crashes that killed 346 people and led to the model's 20-month grounding beginning in 2019.
The system simplifies flight-deck alerts resulting from a failed angle-of-attack sensor, which overwhelmed pilots with too much information before the planes crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The update is "an IOU from the return-to-service (requirements) after the very unfortunate accidents," said Bill Quashnock, Boeing's 737 deputy chief pilot.
All in-service 737 MAX jets will have the new system installed within two years after regulators certify it, he said.
Boeing is also more than 50% through certification flight testing for the 777-9 and is "on track" to start delivering the new widebody jet next year, said Terry Beezhold, Boeing vice president and general manager of the 777-9 program.
The company still has to complete several major certification requirements, including getting regulatory approval for long-distance flights with few airports in between.
(Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Jamie Freed)
