The FAA has begun reviewing Boeing’s redesigned crew-alerting and angle-of-attack systems for the 737 MAX 10, marking the start of a formal evaluation process Congress mandated before Boeing can win certification of the long-delayed jet. The review also covers retrofits that must eventually be installed across the entire MAX family under post-crash safety reforms, the agency said.
The proposed package adds a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system and introduces a new capability for crews to disable stall warning and overspeed alerts in specific scenarios. The FAA will assess whether these design changes satisfy the safety improvements Congress required following two MAX crashes and the overhaul of the aircraft certification process.
Lawmakers waived a 2022 deadline that would have forced Boeing to redesign the alerting architecture for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 before certification. In exchange, Congress required Boeing to retrofit the MAX 10 fleet with approved safety upgrades within three years of the aircraft entering service. The FAA said it will also review changes planned for other MAX variants to ensure the entire series receives the mandated improvements.
The review, announced on December 12, 2025, comes as Boeing continues to navigate long delays in certifying both the MAX 7 and MAX 10. The program has faced setbacks linked to an engine de-icing issue, quality-control problems, and heightened regulatory scrutiny. The FAA has kept the MAX 10 under close watch as it works through outstanding design requirements tied to flight-deck systems and crew alerting.
Southwest Airlines, the largest MAX operator, has said it now expects the MAX 7 to be certified by August 2026, with entry into service early the following year. The MAX 10, which is further behind, remains without a firm timeline. The FAA has reiterated it will not set target dates and will instead advance the aircraft only when all requirements are met.
Boeing’s alerting-system proposal reflects lessons learned from the two fatal MAX accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019. Investigators found that crews received limited or conflicting information as the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) repeatedly activated, forcing the nose down. Those accidents killed 346 people and led to a 20-month global grounding of the MAX fleet. The FAA and Congress later pushed for more intuitive cockpit alerting across commercial aircraft to help pilots diagnose and respond to abnormal situations.
MCAS is an automated flight-control law designed for the 737 MAX to improve handling at high angles of attack by commanding nose-down stabilizer trim when needed. Boeing introduced MCAS because the MAX’s larger, more fuel-efficient engines changed the aircraft’s aerodynamics and made it more prone to pitch up in certain conditions. MCAS was intended to make the MAX’s handling feel similar to earlier 737 models and meet certification requirements without extensive pilot retraining.
As part of the MAX 10 review announcement, the FAA said it will monitor Boeing’s efforts to provide airlines with the service bulletins and technical data needed to comply with future retrofit requirements. Regulators will also certify design changes for other MAX models to ensure the safety enhancements apply consistently across the series.
The FAA’s action underscores the level of oversight Boeing continues to face as it works to restore confidence in its narrowbody program. The agency recently lifted a production cap that had limited MAX output to 38 aircraft per month after a 2024 accident involving an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 exposed lapses in Boeing’s manufacturing processes. The FAA raised the cap to 42 jets per month only after requiring targeted improvements to Boeing’s quality-control system.