Boeing regains limited authority from the FAA to perform final safety checks

Boeing has regained limited authority from the FAA to perform final safety checks and issue airworthiness certificates for some B737 MAX and B787 jets starting 29 September 2025.

The decision followed a review of Boeing’s production quality, allowing FAA inspectors to focus on other critical tasks. The FAA tightened oversight in 2019 after B737-8 crashes and later revoked similar authority for the B787 line.

A production cap of 38 B737 MAX aircraft per month remains, with discussions ongoing for a potential increase to 42. FAA inspectors will continue rigorous oversight of Boeing’s production processes.

FAA shared: “This decision follows a thorough review of Boeing’s ongoing production quality and will allow our inspectors to focus additional surveillance on the production process.”