First deliveries of the Boeing MAX 7 will slip to 2024, the airframer said in an SEC filing released on Wednesday after the presentation of its HY1 results. The airframer and its customers, notably Southwest Airlines, had hoped that the smallest MAX would enter service this year, but this seems now unrealistic. The MAX 10 should enter service in 2024 too. Entry into service Boeing MAX 7 slips into 2024.
In the filing, Boeing says: “We continue to expect the 737-7 to be certified in 2023, and now expect first delivery in 2024. We continue to expect the 737-10 to begin FAA certification flight testing in 2023 with first delivery in 2024.”
Southwest will present its HY1 results on Thursday and will likely offer an update on its fleet plans. In its Q1 release, the airline said that it counted on the delivery of 31 MAX 7s this year or 189 through 2029. The carrier already amended its MAX orders and swapped MAX 7s for -8s that are available earlier.
Although the two MAX versions have been doing flight tests for some time, the FAA has been in no rush to certify them. This has all to do with the aftermath of the two fatal MAX accidents in 2009 and 2010, which led to a complete review of the aircraft type and resulted in additional safety requirements.
The MAX 7 and 10 escaped the requirement to install an additional crew alerting system after the US Congress exempted them from the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act. However, an amendment still mandates that the two models are fitted with two systems to enhance safety. They include a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system, and a system to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts. These systems must also be included on the MAX 8 and 9 and retrofitted on in-service aircraft.
Boeing says about this in the filing: “In 2022, we provisioned for the estimated costs associated with safety enhancements that will be required on all new 737 MAX aircraft and previously delivered 737 MAX aircraft one year and three years after the issuance of a type certificate for the 737-10, respectively. We do not expect those costs to be material. If we experience delays in achieving certification and/or incorporating safety enhancements, future revenues, cash flows and results of operations could be adversely impacted.”
