The Boeing 737 MAX 7 has finally received regulatory approval in the United States, but passengers may have to wait several more months before flying on the smallest member of the MAX family.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified the MAX 7 on August 3, ending a certification process that included more than 1,000 hours of flight and ground testing and began after the first test aircraft flew in 2018.
More than seven weeks later, however, Boeing has yet to deliver a MAX 7.
Southwest Airlines, the launch customer, now expects the first deliveries near the end of 2026, with the aircraft entering passenger service in early 2027, Chief Financial Officer Tom Doxey told Reuters.
27 MAX 7s already built
The delay between certification and delivery is partly explained by the number of aircraft Boeing produced before receiving FAA approval.
Boeing has already built 27 MAX 7s for Southwest Airlines, according to Doxey. Those aircraft are now being prepared for delivery.
When the MAX 7 received certification, Boeing said its teams were implementing updates required to bring the first aircraft to their final certified configuration.
The manufacturer had continued building MAX 7s while the certification program remained underway. In July, Cirium data cited by Reuters indicated that approximately 30 aircraft had already been produced and were awaiting delivery.
Anti-ice system delayed certification
One of the largest obstacles to the MAX 7 certification was the redesign of the engine anti-ice system.
Boeing discovered during testing that prolonged use of the system under certain conditions could overheat the engine inlet and potentially weaken surrounding structures. The issue also affected certification work on the larger MAX 10.
The redesigned system was incorporated into the MAX 7 certification basis. The FAA said the aircraft also received updates to its flight-control software and flightcrew alerting system as part of the approval process.
Certification also required the FAA to update Boeing’s production authorization to include the new variant.
Southwest Airlines has been waiting years for the MAX 7. The US airline originally expected to introduce the aircraft much earlier and repeatedly adjusted its fleet plans while certification remained delayed.
The MAX 7 is designed to carry 135 to 160 passengers in a typical two-class configuration and has a range of up to 3,800 nautical miles (7,040 km), the longest of the four MAX variants.
