FAA to Delay 737 MAX 10 Approval Over New Software Glitch -- WSJ

By Andrew Tangel

The Federal Aviation Administration will delay certification of Boeing's latest 737 MAX model as air-safety regulators assess a new software glitch that some industry officials worry may pose a potential safety risk while landing, the agency chief said Monday.

Boeing has been seeking to win the FAA's approval for the MAX 10, the longest version of the 737 variant.

"We haven't concluded whether this is a safety of flight issue or not," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference Monday, when asked about the software glitch. "But we will be delaying the 10 until we're satisfied that we don't have an issue here."

The FAA hasn't telegraphed publicly when it had been planning to certify the aircraft, but industry and government officials have said regulators were expected to approve the 737 MAX 10 for passenger service as soon as October.

A Boeing spokesman said: "We continue to follow the lead of the FAA as we work through the certification process."

For Boeing, a safety setback could damage its efforts to restore trust with regulators, airline customers and the flying public after its 737 MAX was grounded for nearly two years after a pair of fatal crashes. The accidents led to scrutiny that delayed FAA approvals for newer versions of the jet.

The narrow-body aircraft is the latest variant of Boeing's bestselling passenger jet and a major driver of company revenue. After the crashes, Boeing revenue fell sharply and the plane maker has been working to get it back to its peak levels ever since.

The stock was down 6.2% in afternoon trading on pace for its biggest fall since last October.

The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Boeing had identified a glitch that could cause an automated navigation feature to fail.

The glitch, which Boeing acknowledged, emerged from a cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews alter their planned flight path following a missed approach. In a certain scenario, pilots may have to fly manually without some autopilot functions. That, some industry officials said, could overwork pilots while they are already busy, at low altitude and possibly dealing with situations like bad weather.

The company said it was working with airlines on a procedure to allow pilots to re-enable the automated navigation feature if needed, and devising a software fix.

Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have told Boeing that they don't want to receive new 737 MAX planes equipped with the flawed software, and instead requested an earlier version of it, according to industry officials.

Write to Andrew Tangel at andrew.tangel@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 28, 2026 16:02 ET (20:02 GMT)