The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has delayed the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 10 following the discovery of a new software issue affecting the 737 MAX family. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the MAX 10 would not be certified until the regulator is satisfied that the issue has been resolved. Boeing shares fell 6.9% following the latest setback to the certification process, which had been expected to be completed in October.
Boeing said the issue could prevent pilots on certain 737 MAX aircraft from accessing automated flight guidance during a go-around and could increase pilot workload. The company has informed operators and is developing a software update to permanently resolve the issue. The FAA will also review the matter through its Corrective Action Review Board.
Bedford said the software was supplied by GE Aerospace and that a fix could potentially be developed relatively quickly, although it remains unclear whether the process will take days, weeks or months. He also noted that pilots maintained control of the aircraft in the scenario associated with the software issue.
WestJet, which operates aircraft using the affected software, said it has not experienced any in-service issues and does not consider the matter a flight safety concern. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines said none of their aircraft currently use the affected software. United also said it is not accepting deliveries of aircraft equipped with the software version currently under review.
📸: Boeing
