FAA restores Boeing jet signoff authority

The Federal Aviation Administration said on July 17, 2026 that Boeing may resume issuing airworthiness certificates for all of its 737 MAX and 787 aircraft. The move affects the final approval step required before these jets are cleared to enter service or be delivered to customers. It represents a shift from the heightened direct oversight the agency had exercised in recent years over Boeing’s commercial aircraft production.

The decision followed months of review during which the FAA scrutinized Boeing’s production processes and quality outcomes on the affected models. During that period, airworthiness certificates were issued by both the FAA and Boeing, allowing the regulator to compare results from the two approaches under close observation.

Based on the data gathered, the FAA said it had seen comparable production-quality findings whether the certificates were issued by Boeing or by the agency. Regulators cited this alignment as evidence of “consistent production quality” and used it as the basis for restoring Boeing’s authority to handle these approvals itself for the 737 MAX and 787 families.

In explaining the change, the FAA pointed to the consistency of quality findings across recent certificate issuances. The agency said its assessment of production outcomes over several months supported the conclusion that Boeing’s internal processes now produced results in line with the FAA’s own inspections. On that basis, it determined Boeing could again take on responsibility for issuing airworthiness certificates for the two aircraft types.

The restored authority covers Boeing’s best-selling narrow-body 737 MAX jets and its 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft. Both models are core to Boeing’s commercial portfolio, and the ability to issue certificates directly is a key step in streamlining the path from factory completion to delivery.

While returning this specific responsibility to Boeing, the FAA’s announcement did not indicate any change to other aspects of regulatory oversight. The focus of the July 17 decision was the final airworthiness certification step and how it is administered for newly produced 737 MAX and 787 jets.

Alongside the regulatory development, reporting from Everett, Washington noted that Boeing delivered 314 jets in the first half of the year. This delivery pace underscores the importance of efficient certification processes for the manufacturer’s output and customer commitments.

Boeing officials also said certification work on some 737 MAX variants and on the wide-body 777-9 was far along. These efforts are part of Boeing’s broader certification portfolio, though the FAA’s July 17 decision specifically addressed the company’s role in issuing airworthiness certificates for already-approved 737 MAX and 787 models.

The combination of continued jet deliveries, advanced work on additional variants, and the FAA’s decision to allow Boeing to resume airworthiness signoffs highlights a period of regulatory and industrial transition for the manufacturer. How Boeing manages its reinstated responsibilities will remain central to the ongoing relationship between the company and U.S. aviation regulators.