By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave long-awaited approval on Monday to Boeing's 737 MAX 7, a milestone for the American planemaker that has waited years to sell the smallest version of its best-selling airplane.
The jetliner's certification was years behind schedule. At one point, Boeing had said it expected the plane to be approved before the end of 2022.
Boeing said last month that it was in the final stages of getting regulatory certification
for an engine anti-ice system fix for its 737 MAX. FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau told Reuters last month that he thought approval of the larger MAX 10 would be "right behind" the MAX 7.
Boeing already has built about 30 MAX 7s and nine MAX 10s, which are awaiting delivery, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The MAX 10 accounts for at least 28% of outstanding MAX orders.
Boeing has faced a more stringent certification process since 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.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters in July that the agency and Boeing have improved work on certifying new planes.
Boeing in 2022 faced a deadline set by Congress to win certification of the two variants of the MAX before a new safety standard on cockpit alerts was to take effect. Congress ultimately agreed to waive that requirement.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter and Will Dunham)
