The Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft, the latest and largest addition to the 737 MAX family, will enter service by 2023 or 2024, the plane maker said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.
MAX 10 models are also currently going through Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification activities.
“We are following the lead of the FAA as we work through the certification process, and currently expect … the 737 MAX 10 to begin FAA certification flight testing in 2022 or 2023 and enter service in 2023 or 2024,” the company said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
MAX 10 and the family’s smallest variant MAX 7 have yet to enter commercial service as both are still awaiting certification.
The company said it expects the MAX 7 to be certified in 2022 or 2023 and enter service in 2023.
“With safety as our primary focus, we continue to work to meet all current regulatory requirements to support certification and are also engaged in discussions with stakeholders concerning a possible extension to the ACSAA's [Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act] December 27, 2022, deadline,” Boeing said in the filing.
“We currently have approximately 27 MAX 7 and three MAX 10 aircraft in inventory and approximately 250 MAX 7 and 600 MAX 10 aircraft in backlog,” it added.
Today, Boeing posted a quarterly net loss of more than $3.3 billion in the third quarter, from $132 million in the same period last year, driven by a drop in the defence, space and security business division.
The company’s loss per share expanded to $5.49 from $0.19 in the same period last year, while its revenue jumped 4.4 per cent annually to almost $16bn.
Alaska Airlines, the fifth-largest passenger airline in the US, announced on Wednesday it is purchasing 52 737 MAX aircraft between 2024 and 2027. This will increase the airline's fleet of 737 MAX planes from 94 to 146.
