Software issue delays Boeing 737 MAX 10 certification

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it will delay certification of Boeing’s long-delayed 737 MAX 10 until the planemaker resolves a newly disclosed software issue, Reuters reported. The development is the latest setback to Boeing’s efforts to bring the largest variant of its best-selling 737 MAX family into service.

Boeing identified a previously undisclosed software issue on the 737 MAX that could cause an automated navigation feature to fail during landing. The issue is linked to a cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews change their planned flight path after a missed approach. Boeing said it had informed operators and was developing a software update to permanently address the problem.

Boeing shares closed 6.9% lower amid concerns over further delays to the MAX 10, a key aircraft in the company’s efforts to regain ground lost to Airbus in the lucrative single-aisle market. The FAA said the software version could increase pilot workload during a go-around, when a pilot aborts a landing attempt, applies power and climbs to make another landing attempt.

The FAA had earlier said it planned to convene a Corrective Action Review Board to investigate the issue. However, the board is not expected to meet before next week at the earliest, two sources told Reuters. The review by the US regulator will assess whether the software poses an unreasonable safety risk, potentially leading to several more months of rework before the MAX 10 can be certified. Certification had been widely expected to take place in October.

Airlines respond to Boeing 737 MAX software issue

Indian low-cost carrier Akasa Air said it was closely coordinating with Boeing on the issue and confirmed that there was no impact on the safety of its operations.

Canadian carrier WestJet, which also operates the 737 MAX, said it had not experienced any in-service issues and did not consider the matter a safety concern, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have asked Boeing not to deliver new 737 MAX aircraft with the affected software and instead requested an earlier version.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines said none of their aircraft currently use the affected software.

Ryanair expects MAX 10 deliveries despite certification delay

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, ordered 150 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft in 2023, with options for a further 150. Its CEO, Michael O’Leary, said he hoped the announced delay in certification of the MAX 10 would be “a matter of days, not weeks or months.”

“We still expect to receive the first 15 MAX 10 aircraft in spring 2027,” he said during a conference in Warsaw, Reuters reported.