Alaska Airlines Expects Boeing 737 MAX 10 to Receive FAA Certification by Late September, First Aircraft to Be Delivered in Spring Next Year

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 24, Jason Berry, Chief Operating Officer of Alaska Air Group, said the company expects the Boeing 737 MAX 10 to receive certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the end of September, and plans to take delivery of its first aircraft in spring 2027. Alaska Airlines expects the aircraft type to enter commercial passenger service between April and mid-May 2027.

The Boeing 737 MAX 10 has completed its planned certification flight tests. Boeing disclosed on July 28 that the aircraft type's certification flight testing had accumulated 976 flights, more than 2,060 flight hours and approximately 1,040 hours of ground testing, covering items including the main landing gear, wet runway braking, maximum energy braking, engine anti-icing system and enhanced angle-of-attack system. After the completion of flight testing, the certification work moved into the development assurance review, system safety assessment and final document submission phases.

On September 16, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said that all certification flight testing for the 737 MAX 10 had been completed, and that the current main work is focused on submitting and closing out final certification documents with the FAA. Boeing had previously maintained in the first quarter of 2026 that its target for 737 MAX 10 certification remained within the year, and expected the first aircraft to begin delivery in 2027.

Alaska Airlines ordered 105 737 MAX 10s from Boeing in January this year and obtained purchase rights for another 35 aircraft of the same type, with the order delivery plan extending through 2035. This is one of the largest single aircraft orders in Alaska Airlines' history. The company's current main narrowbody fleet is still dominated by the 737-9 MAX, 737-900ER and 737-8 MAX, and as of July 2026 it operated 80 737-9 MAXs and 20 737-8 MAXs.

The 737 MAX 10 is the longest-fuselage and highest-capacity model in the 737 MAX series. Alaska Airlines had previously included the aircraft type in its medium- and long-term fleet renewal and capacity expansion plans, and the delivery time of the first aircraft will depend on the FAA completing type certification as well as Boeing's subsequent production, customer acceptance and individual aircraft airworthiness delivery progress. Boeing disclosed in July this year that after 737 MAX 10 certification is completed, the relevant test aircraft will still need to have test equipment removed, cabins installed, and painting and interior modifications completed before they can be converted to customer delivery status.