First Boeing 737 MAX 10 For United Airlines Takes Flight
BY
RILEY PICKETT
PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO
The first Boeing 737 MAX 10 destined for an airline joined the thousands of Boeing aircraft in the air for over one hour on November 18th.
Photo: Boeing
On Friday, November 18th,
Boeing's first non-prototype
737 MAX 10 took flight sporting
United Airlines' iconic blue and white livery. The short test flight marks a significant milestone for the MAX 10 project. Boeing hopes to get the MAX 10 certified as quickly as possible. However, federal regulations may require that the aircraft receive various changes before certification if the process is not completed by year's end.
MAX test flight
United Airlines' first MAX 10 has been
sitting idle on the apron at Washington's Renton Municipal Airport (RNT) since it exited production earlier this year. Since then, the aircraft has patiently awaited its turn to join the thousands of Boeing aircraft in the sky. This week, it was finally given a chance when it took its first test flight. The next-generation airliner departed RNT near Seattle and traveled to Central Washington's Grant County International Airport (MWH) before returning to the Seattle area, landing at King County International Airport (BFI), otherwise known as Boeing Field.
The aircraft registered N27753 has become the third MAX 10 to take flight. This airplane is the first of over 700 MAX 10s that have been ordered by 15 different airlines. United Airlines alone has placed orders for over 200 MAX. The airline already operates one of the world's largest fleets of 737 MAX aircraft, and is one of the program's biggest supporters. The carrier has been eagerly awaiting the delivery of the MAX 10 for multiple years, making the latest test flight a welcomed sight for both Boeing and United.
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Time constraints
Boeing is currently in a race against time as it looks to have the
MAX 7 and 10 models certified by December. However, with each passing day, the likelihood of this coming to fruition grows increasingly slim. The manufacturer recently
predicted that the aircraft would be certified by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Summer 2023. This race against time began in 2020 when new aircraft certification regulations were implemented.
In late 2020, the Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act was put into effect. This would require that a more advanced safety system be installed on all newly certified aircraft. Aircraft models that had already received approval would be exempt from this regulation. However, aircraft under development at the time, such as the MAX 7 and 10, would require many upgrades to the airplane's safety systems. Boeing negotiated a two-year postponement on the regulation, giving it time to certify its two remaining MAX models.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly delayed the development and production of both models making obtaining the certification in time far more difficult. Despite Boeing's best efforts, the FAA has been slow to move forward with the certification process leading many to suspect that the FAA plans to postpone the certification until 2023. This idea is further validated as the new safety regulations implemented in 2020 were largely prompted by the two tragic 737 MAX accidents in 2018 and 2019.
Suppose the two MAX variants are required to be fitted with the new safety systems. In that case, the project will likely be delayed several months as the aircraft will need to be redesigned and all existing models retrofitted with the new equipment. This will further delay airplane deliveries while proving costly to Boeing.
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