---
title: The Smallest 737 MAX Is Cleared for Passenger Service After Eight Years in Certification
description: The FAA has granted Boeing an amended type certificate for the 737-7. A 2023 Federal Register filing names the engine inlet overheating risk behind the long program.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-03T19:48:52.655Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/boeing-737-7-faa-type-certificate
categories: Business
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Boeing an amended type certificate for the 737-7, clearing the smallest airplane in the 737 MAX family for commercial service. The agency also updated Boeing Production Certificate No. 700 to cover the new variant, the approval that covers manufacturing of the airplane.

The 737-7 seats 135 to 160 passengers in a two-class layout and offers about 10 percent more range potential than its 737 MAX siblings, according to Boeing. The company says the airplane cuts fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent and its noise footprint by half compared with the planes it typically replaces.

Boeing's testing on the 737-7 began in 2018 and ran to more than 1,000 hours of flight and ground testing, alongside extensive system safety analysis and human factors reviews.

“Our team of dedicated engineers and test experts worked through challenges, an extended pandemic, and the transition to new certification processes,” said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

## Boeing Petitioned the FAA Over an Engine Inlet Overheating Risk

The public record names what the program was solving. In December 2023 the FAA published a notice summarizing a petition Boeing had filed, docket number FAA-2023-2340, asking for a partial, temporary exemption from several federal aviation regulations covering the engine nacelle inlet structure and the engine anti-ice system on the 737-7.

[Boeing sought that relief through May 31, 2026](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/04/2023-26515/petition-for-exemption-summary-of-petition-received-the-boeing-company), time it said it needed to develop and certify design changes addressing, in the notice's own words, “overheating during certain conditions that may result in failure of the engine inlet inner barrel and severe engine inlet cowl damage.”

The certified 737-7 includes an updated engine anti-ice system that addresses a potential condition discovered during flight testing, according to Boeing.

## Southwest Prepares to Take the First Airplane

Southwest Airlines is the launch customer for the 737-7, and Boeing says the two companies are now preparing for delivery of the first airplane, including finishing updates to its final configuration.

Mike Sinnett, senior vice president of Product Strategy, Product Development and Development Programs, said the effort left Boeing with a better read on what regulators now expect. “With this certification program, Boeing has developed a clearer understanding of the latest regulatory requirements, which is expected to accelerate future airplane development with a renewed emphasis on human factors, safety and quality,” Sinnett said.

## FAQ

**Q: What is an amended type certificate?**
It is FAA approval adding a new variant, here the 737-7, to an airplane family's existing type certificate, confirming the variant meets federal airworthiness standards.

**Q: How many seats does the Boeing 737 MAX 7 have?**
Boeing says the 737-7 seats 135 to 160 passengers in a two-class configuration.

**Q: Who is the launch customer for the 737 MAX 7?**
Southwest Airlines, which is preparing with Boeing for delivery of the first airplane.