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By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 5, 2026, © Leeham News: Boeing’s 737 Max 7 finally obtained certification on Aug. 3. The company and airline customers hope certification of the Max 10 is not far behind.
Certification of both aircraft was delayed for years following the eruption of the Max crisis in 2019. The second crash of a Max 8, five months after the first one, led to a 21-month grounding of the global fleet. During this period and until now, the FAA reviewed its entire certification of the Max family and of Boeing’s procedures, safety protocols, and quality control of the Max assembly.
Boeing still awaits certification of the largest member of the 737 MAX family, the -10. Credit: Boeing.
Design changes were required, which contributed to the delay of the Max 7 and 10 certifications.
While some hope that certification of the Max 7 will spur sales, LNA’s analysis suggests the aircraft’s potential market will likely remain constrained. As a “cut” of the Max 8, the design is not optimized for the best economic performance. Of the 282 Max 7s Boeing has in its backlog, Southwest Airlines holds orders for 262 of the type, according to Boeing’s recent 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Southwest needs the Max 7 for operations at some of its more difficult airports, such as Chicago Midway, Burbank, California, and Reno, Nevada, and for longer operations at “hot and high” airports.
But the Max 7’s operating costs are similar to those of the larger Max 8, which has much greater revenue potential. This limits demand for the Max 7 from other operators, though LNA believes Boeing will expand the Max 7 order book beyond Southwest and the US leisure carrier Allegiant Air.
Limited demand does not describe the Max 10, a 210-passenger airplane that competes with the popular Airbus A321neo.
