FAA delays Boeing 737 Max 10 approval over software issue
The regulator is studying a flight management computer problem days after Boeing said testing on the jet was complete.
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UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 3:30 PM ET
WestJet said it uses software version 14.1, the version now under FAA review, on its Boeing 737 Max jets and is working with Boeing on the reported issue.
UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 3:30 PM ET
The FAA administrator confirmed the software issue will delay Max 10 certification, though the length of the delay is unclear. The administrator also said pilots retain control of the aircraft during go-arounds despite the flight management computer issue.
The Federal Aviation Administration will delay approval of the Boeing 737 Max 10 while it studies a software issue, according to Bedford.
The issue centers on the flight management computer's vertical navigation function, which can leave pilots without automated flight guidance in certain landing scenarios, including missed-approach situations, according to The Air Current and SupplyChainBrain. Boeing said it has identified the problem and that engineers are working on a permanent software update, while the FAA is convening a Corrective Action Review Board to determine whether it is a flight-safety concern, Bloomberg reported via SupplyChainBrain.
The delay comes just as the Max 10 appeared close to certification. Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said on September 16 that flight testing on the aircraft was complete and the program was in its final documentation phase with the FAA, according to AeroXplorer. The Max 7, which uses the same software configuration, already holds its FAA type certificate, granted in August, and Boeing is preparing to begin customer deliveries on that jet; it is unclear whether the software issue will affect that timeline, AeroXplorer and Aviation Week reported.
Alaska Airlines, which has ordered 105 of the jets with options for 35 more, said on September 26 it has been engaged with Boeing and the FAA and will keep working with both as they evaluate the matter, Airways Magazine reported. Two days earlier, before the software issue surfaced, Alaska's chief operating officer Jason Berry said the airline expected certification by the end of September and first delivery in spring 2027, with passenger service starting between April and mid-May 2027, according to a Reuters interview cited by Airways Magazine. It would not be the first such delay: Boeing told lawmakers in March 2024 that a separate engine anti-ice issue would push back Max 7 and Max 10 certification by up to a year.
The delay contradicts the certification timing that Boeing and Morgan Stanley have repeatedly said was imminent, and it comes as Ryanair plans on spring Max 10 deliveries and orders from Turkey, Bangladesh and other customers continue to build.