FAA certifies Boeing 737 MAX-10 as Central Asian carriers expand MAX fleets

Image: Boeing

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued the type certificate for the Boeing 737 MAX-10.

On October 20, the agency also granted production authorization for the variant, clearing the way for deliveries of the largest member of the MAX family.

All re-engined 737 MAX models are now type-certified.

The MAX-10 program was launched in summer 2017, with entry into service targeted for 2020.

However, the 737 MAX grounding and regulatory scrutiny following the 2018 and 2019 deadly accidents delayed the program.

As of September 30, Boeing had booked 1,555 orders for the MAX-10 — equivalent to nearly one-third of the re-engined family’s backlog.

The aircraft is sized for 204 passengers in a standard two-class layout and up to 230 in a high-density single-class configuration. Range is 5,740 km, extending to 6,110 km with an auxiliary fuel tank.

Boeing claims the MAX-10 has the lowest cost per seat among all narrowbody aircraft ever produced.

The -10 is expected to complement existing 737 MAX operator fleets and give carriers greater flexibility in capacity deployment.

In Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the first and largest 737 MAX operator is privately owned SCAT Airlines of Kazakhstan, with 14 aircraft. Its incoming fleet includes 10 higher-capacity MAX 9s.

Kazakhstan’s Vietjet Qazaqstan (formerly Qazaq Air) is also poised to become a 737 MAX operator, likely in 2027, and plans to take 20 aircraft over the next four years.

In Tajikistan, Somon Air added two 737 MAX-8s during this year’s summer season and has a preliminary agreement to acquire 10 more MAX aircraft.

Uzbekistan’s Fly Khiva has also expressed interest in the MAX.

In Turkmenistan, the president signed a decree in summer 2023 instructing the national carrier, Turkmenistan Airlines, to purchase four MAX-8s.