FAA restores Boeing's authority to self-certify 737 MAX and 787 airworthiness

The FAA has returned to Boeing the power to issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner jets, closing out a restriction imposed after the two fatal MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. That authority lets the manufacturer clear finished aircraft for delivery to customers itself, rather than routing each plane through a federal inspector.

The move follows an eight-month trial arrangement begun last September, in which Boeing and the FAA alternated weekly on signing off aircraft. The agency says quality findings were comparable whether Boeing or its own staff issued the certificates, and concluded it could safely hand the responsibility back. Boeing said it will keep operating under FAA oversight and meeting certification requirements.

The decision is a notable regulatory endorsement of one of the largest U.S. exporters after years of safety and quality-control turmoil, including the two crashes and the January 2024 incident in which a door plug detached from a 737 MAX 9 shortly after takeoff. It signals the FAA’s growing confidence in Boeing’s production quality, though the company remains under continued federal scrutiny.