FAA lets Boeing sign off on 737 MAX, 787 airworthiness certificates again
The FAA has restored Boeing's authority to issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner aircraft after an eight-month period of shared oversight. This decision follows a period of increased scrutiny after safety crises and production quality concerns.
Why it matters
This move signals a significant regulatory vote of confidence in Boeing's manufacturing processes and safety compliance.
The U.S. government on Friday said Boeing can once again issue airworthiness certificates for its bestselling 737 Max aircraft and 787 Dreamliners, an authority that was stripped from the manufacturer after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 of the 737 Max.
The Federal Aviation Administration said last September that Boeing could ticket its own planes before they're handed off to customers for only some of the Maxes and Dreamliners, alternating weeks between the FAA and Boeing doing that work.
"During the past eight months, the FAA has seen comparable production quality findings when Boeing issued airworthiness certificates and when the FAA issued them," the agency said Friday. "Based on these results, the FAA determined it can safely return this responsibility to Boeing."
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in