The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it will allow Boeing to resume limited delegation for issuing airworthiness certificates for certain 737 MAX and 787 aircraft, starting September 29, 2025. An airworthiness certificate is required to confirm that an aircraft is safe to operate.
"Safety drives everything we do, and the FAA will only allow this step forward because we are confident it can be done safely. This decision follows a thorough review of Boeing’s ongoing production quality and will allow our inspectors to focus additional surveillance in the production process. The FAA will continue to maintain direct and rigorous oversight of Boeing's production processes," the agency stated.
Under the new arrangement, both Boeing and the FAA will issue airworthiness certificates on alternating weeks.
The FAA’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program allows approved organizations to perform some certification functions on behalf of the agency. In May, the FAA renewed Boeing’s ODA for three years effective June 1, 2025.
By resuming limited delegation to Boeing's ODA, FAA inspectors are expected to provide more oversight during critical stages of assembly. This includes observing trends in production quality, ensuring compliance with engineering requirements, and monitoring efforts related to Boeing’s Safety Management System (SMS). Inspectors will also observe safety culture at Boeing facilities and ensure employees feel free to report safety concerns without fear of retaliation.
Previously, the FAA had stopped allowing Boeing to issue these certificates for its 737 MAX jets in 2019 after two fatal crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines. A similar restriction was imposed on the 787 line in 2022 due to issues with production quality.
