Boeing's 737-7 Finally Gets Approved to Fly, Eight Years Late

Boeing's smallest new passenger plane just got the green light to fly. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. agency that approves aircraft for use, gave the 737-7 its official approval on August 3. The process took eight years, far longer than Boeing first expected. Getting this approval, called a type certificate, means regulators agree the plane is safe to carry passengers. To earn it, the 737-7 went through more than 1,000 hours of test flights and ground tests. Engineers also had to fix a problem with the plane's engine ice-protection system after it showed up during testing. The 737-7 seats between 135 and 160 passengers, depending on how an airline sets it up. It can fly routes of up to about 3,800 nautical miles, which is roughly 4,370 regular miles. Boeing is marketing the plane to airlines that fly out of high-altitude or very hot airports, where planes need extra power to take off safely. Airlines should start receiving the plane in early 2027. That's about eight years behind Boeing's original 2019 target. Much of the delay traces back to intense safety reviews across the whole 737 Max family, which followed two fatal crashes involving a different version of the plane years earlier. Even with the delay, other parts of the airline industry are moving forward. Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, has firm orders for 12 Airbus A350s and 12 Boeing 787s, both larger "widebody" jets built for long international flights. Qantas plans to use them to replace its older A330 planes starting in 2027. The airline is also reportedly in talks for roughly 20 more widebody jets on top of that order. Industry watchers say these two stories together point to something bigger: after years of delays across the plane-making industry, airlines are still betting big on new aircraft, even as individual programs like the 737-7 keep running into their own holdups.