US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of the B737-7 and the B737-10 will most likely slide until the first quarter of 2026, according to the chief executive of Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field), Bob Jordan, and the media outlet The Air Current.
Southwest is not counting on the B737-7 until 2026, around seven years later than the original date the type was expected, Jordan said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, The Air Current reported that Boeing is continuing to advance towards the certification of the B737-7 and the larger B737-10, but both are still lacking a finalised design addressing a safety issue with the engine anti-ice (EAI) system. The manufacturer committed to Congress and the FAA that it would fix this before delivery.
“We are maturing a technical solution that includes design updates. The modifications would be included in the baseline certification of the B737-7 and B737-10,” Boeing told ch-aviation in a statement, adding that they are finalising an analysis to be presented to the authority.
Boeing has been looking to deliver the first B737-7 by the end of 2025. ch-aviation data shows Southwest Airlines is set to take delivery of 295 B737-7s, with other customers of the type being Luxair, Ruili Airlines, and SkyUp Airlines, for a total of 326 aircraft to be delivered (22 of them still unassigned).
Meanwhile, Boeing has orders for 1,271 B737-10s, with major customers such as United Airlines (165 on order), Ryanair (150 on order), and American Airlines (115). The Irish low-cost carrier recently said it had decided to maintain its order for the type, and that it expects delivery of the first fifteen to take place in the spring of 2027.
ch-aviation has reached out to the FAA for comment.
