Walkaround

Boeing

737 MAX

MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 9, MAX 10

in production CFM LEAP-1B 4 min read · updated 21 September 2026 · checked 21 September 2026

At a glance

Type card

VariantsMAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 8200, MAX 9, MAX 10
EnginesCFM International LEAP-1B
Typical seating138 to 204 depending on variant
AssemblyRenton, Washington, with a second line at Everett
StatusIn production
CertifiedMAX 8 in 2017, MAX 9 in 2018, MAX 7 in August 2026

Program and production

The rate story is the whole story on this programme right now, and it is not a good one.

Ortberg told investors at the Morgan Stanley Laguna conference on 16 September that Boeing is "not stable yet" at 47 single aisle aircraft per month. That matters because the FAA lifted its production cap and cleared Boeing to move to 47 back in May 2026, so the constraint is no longer regulatory. It is industrial.

Ortberg named the specific problem: Boeing's own wing manufacturing operation at Renton. That is an unusual admission. For most of the past two years the company has pointed outward at the supply chain, and in particular at fuselage supply. Pointing at an in house operation suggests the fix is within Boeing's control, which is encouraging, but also that it has not happened yet.

The practical consequence is that rate 52 by the end of 2026, a target Boeing set for itself, now looks out of reach. The company is guiding to 52 per month sometime in 2027, after it stabilises the current rate and brings the Everett line into routine operation. Cirium data put August deliveries at 41 aircraft, down from 43 in July, which is well short of what a stable 47 would produce.

Certification is the better news. The FAA granted the amended type certificate for the 737-7 on 3 August 2026. Both the MAX 7 and MAX 10 finished their flight test campaigns on 28 July, closing out 976 test flights between them. The MAX 10 certification is expected in early autumn. Boeing has said first deliveries for both variants come in 2027, which means airlines that ordered the MAX 7 in 2016 will have waited roughly a decade.

Technical and maintenance

The significant item this cycle is the bear strap Airworthiness Directive.

In plain terms

A bear strap is a structural reinforcement that wraps around a cutout in the fuselage skin, such as a door. The skin carries load, the cutout interrupts it, and the bear strap carries that load around the hole.

The FAA adopted the final rule on 6 August 2026, effective 10 September. It was prompted by reports of cracking in the bear strap and stub frame at the forward upper corner of the forward galley door cutout. The agency's position is blunt: cracking there may leave the principal structural element unable to sustain limit loads and could affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane.

The AD covers 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 models. It reaches 471 US registered aircraft and about 1,429 worldwide. A second, related directive effective 22 October 2026 adds repetitive inspections of the bear strap and stub frame on top of the initial inspection.

Two details are worth holding onto. First, no cracks had been confirmed on MAX 9 airframes when the AD was issued. The FAA included the variant anyway on the basis of shared fuselage design and assembly process. Second, this same cracking first appeared on the 737 NG fleet, which uses the same fuselage architecture. That lineage is why the directive reads as a fleet wide structural question rather than a one off.

On the line

The initial requirement is an inspection of the fuselage skin for existing repairs, then crack inspections of skin, bear strap and stub frame, with on condition actions. Aircraft that already carry a repair in that area need their records pulled, because a prior repair changes what the inspection asks for. Build the repetitive interval into the check package now rather than treating it as a one time task.

Orders and operators

Combined orders for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 now exceed 1,700 aircraft, so the certification of both variants unlocks a large part of the backlog. Southwest is the anchor customer for the MAX 7 and United for the MAX 10.

Delivery volume remains the constraint on fleet planning rather than order intake. Operators waiting on MAX 7 and MAX 10 aircraft have spent several years extending leases on older equipment, and nothing in the current rate picture suggests that pressure eases before 2027.

Safety

No new accident investigations involving the type opened in this period.

The structural cracking behind the August Airworthiness Directive is being handled as a continued airworthiness matter rather than an accident investigation. Reporting has connected the cracking to scratching of the bear strap during production, which would make it a manufacturing quality issue rather than a design one. Boeing has not confirmed that characterisation publicly, so treat it as unresolved.

Sources