FAA certifies Boeing 737 Max 7 after years of safety delays

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially certified Boeing's 737 Max 7, clearing the smallest model in the Max family for commercial operation. The approval comes over eight years after the aircraft's maiden flight and follows extensive regulatory delays.

Certification timelines were prolonged following two fatal crashes of the Max 8 variant in 2018 and 2019, which claimed 346 lives and triggered worldwide fleet groundings and intensified safety oversight. Additional scrutiny was sparked by subsequent manufacturing issues, including a mid-air panel blowout on another Max variant.

Airlines such as Southwest Airlines, which originally expected delivery before the COVID-19 pandemic, can now prepare to integrate the fuel-efficient narrow-body jetliner into their active fleets.

Sources: Morgunblaðið, Berlingske, DR, Svenska Dagbladet, ORF