Unresolved engine anti-ice fix pushes 737 Max 7 and 10 certifications into 2026

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Boeing is advancing toward certification of the 737 Max 7 and 10, but both aircraft are still lacking a finalized design to address a safety issue with the jet’s engine anti-ice (EAI) system that the company committed to Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration it would fix before delivery.

The plane maker has deferred to the regulator to guide the certification timing of the last two members of the 737 Max family, but the still-unfinalized fix is pushing the approval of both single-aisle aircraft into 2026 after Boeing’s preferred solution created another safety issue that sent the company’s engineers back to the drawing board following testing last year.

Related: 737 Max anti-ice system fix is slow going

“We are maturing a technical solution that includes design updates,” Boeing said in a statement issued to The Air Current. “The modifications would be included in the baseline certification of the 737-7 and 737-10. We are finalizing our analysis and will present the information to the FAA. We will continue to work under their rigorous oversight to meet safety and regulatory requirements.”

Boeing had been aiming for handover of the first 737 Max 7 to a Boeing Business Jet customer by the end of 2025. That will now slide into 2026, according to industry officials and those familiar with the development, as will U.S. approval of the amended type certificates and first deliveries of the 737 Max 7 and Max 10. Canada’s WestJet has now been earmarked as the Max 10’s launch operator, according to the airline’s chief executive, after years of schedule uncertainty and customer upheaval.

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