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Boeing has begun formal certification trials of the engine anti-ice (EAI) design fix for its 737 Max family, according to people familiar with the program, a significant milestone in the long-delayed entry into commercial service of the Max 7 and 10 derivatives.
Flight tests of the newly-revised design are being conducted on Boeing’s lead 737 Max 10 test aircraft, one of the final hurdles before the smallest and largest models of its current narrowbody family are cleared to enter service. Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg is expected to provide an update on the company’s certification efforts when the planemaker reports its financial results for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday.
Related: Unresolved engine anti-ice fix pushes 737 Max 7 and 10 certifications into 2026
Boeing officials remain cautious about getting out ahead of U.S. regulators, who will make the final determination as to when the last two Max planes are ready for commercial use. The company declined to comment on the status of its engine anti-ice design, citing a quiet period ahead of its earnings.
Boeing has yet to outline specifics about the prescribed fix for the anti-ice system, but a recently-approved patent sheds some light on a novel method of cooling the structure that the Federal Aviation Administration warned in 2023 was at risk of dangerously overheating.
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