Aviation Update

When the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 finally receive their type certificates, something more than a regulatory approval will have happened.

The MAX crisis began in October 2018 with the Lion Air crash. It deepened in March 2019 with the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Three hundred and forty-six people died. The global MAX grounding lasted 20 months. The investigations, the congressional hearings, the criminal proceedings, the MCAS redesign, the safety culture overhaul, and the years of enhanced FAA scrutiny that followed represent the most intense regulatory examination of a commercial aircraft type in aviation history.

The MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification will be the last formal chapter in that process. Not the last chapter in the story — the industry will be monitoring Boeing's quality systems for years to come. But the regulatory chapter. The moment when the FAA says: these aircraft have met the standard.

For the 346 people who died — and the families who are still watching — what does it mean for Boeing to eventually receive the certificate?