SEATTLE — After nearly a decade, federal safety regulators have cleared Boeing’s 737 MAX 7 to fly with passengers.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it completed an “extensive review,” and issued an amended type certificate and updated Production Limitation Record for the MAX 7, the smallest variant of Boeing’s MAX family.

The amended type certificate confirms the plane complies with all design and safety requirements while the Production Limitation Record authorizes Boeing to begin building the MAX 7.

The FAA’s approval marks a huge step forward for Boeing’s long-delayed certification programs, something that has lingered on its to-do list as the planemaker works to recover from a tumultuous few years, including two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 and a midair panel blowout in 2024.

But Boeing isn’t done with the certification stall yet. It is still working with the FAA to certify the MAX 10, the largest variant of its narrowbody MAX family, and the 777X family, a series of two widebody passenger planes and one freighter.

Before granting certification for the MAX 7, the FAA said Monday it required Boeing to incorporate “key improvements” to address safety legislation passed after the fatal MAX crashes and recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The FAA also required Boeing to incorporate a redesigned engine anti-ice system, after discovering a potential design defect that put the system at risk of overheating. Boeing had originally asked the FAA to certify the plane without the engine anti-ice fix but withdrew that request after the 2024 panel blowout.

The FAA said Monday the new design changes “provide pilots clearer information and warnings and prevent the engine inlet from overheating and potentially weakening the surrounding structure.”

“The approval reflects years of sustained work to resolve complex technical issues and complete a thorough review of the airplane’s design and supporting safety analyses,” the FAA said in a statement.

FAA safety inspectors will remain on-site at Boeing’s factories to continue monitoring the company’s manufacturing processes, the agency said Monday.

Boeing began its MAX 7 testing program in 2018 and has since completed more than 1,000 hours of flight and ground testing, the company said in a news release Monday.

Boeing executives lauded the certification milestone on Monday.

Stephanie Pope, the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told employees in a note Monday that the “multi-year journey to this milestone has been long and winding.”

“Our team has had to navigate various challenges, an extended pandemic and the transition to new certification processes as lawmakers put in place new requirements to strengthen airplane safety,” Pope said. “The tens of thousands of hours of work have been worth it … for Boeing, for our customers and for commercial aviation.”

Mike Sinnett, senior vice president of product strategy, product development and development programs, said in a statement Boeing now has “developed a clearer understanding of the latest regulatory requirements,” which should help speed up “future airplane development.”

Boeing said it is working with Southwest Airlines, the MAX 7 launch customers, to prepare for delivery of the first airplane.

A spokesperson declined Monday to share an exact delivery date, but CEO Kelly Ortberg told analysts on the company’s quarterly earnings call last week that it expects to start deliveries for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 in 2027.

Boeing will need to rework MAX 7 planes that have already been built to add design changes made during the lengthy certification process, something the planemaker calls “change incorporation.” But the spokesperson declined to share how many MAX 7s have already been built and how long that repair work will take.

A Southwest spokesperson said Monday the airline looks forward “to the plane entering service in the coming months.”

“Certification is an important step toward continuing to modernize our all-Boeing 737 fleet with upgraded interiors and more fuel-efficient aircraft to fit our customers’ preferences and demand patterns,” the spokesperson said.

The MAX 7 will be Boeing’s smallest MAX variant, with room for 135 to 160 passengers, according to the company’s news release Monday. The MAX 8 and MAX 9, already in production, can seat up to 180 and 195 passengers, while the yet-be-certified MAX 10 will hold up to 210 passengers.

The MAX 7 will also have the longest range, able to fly up to 3,800 nautical miles. Comparatively, the MAX 8 flies 3,500 nautical miles, the MAX 9 3,300 nautical miles, and the MAX 10 3,100 nautical miles.

Boeing’s MAX 8 has the most net orders among the MAX family, followed by the MAX 10, according to a media briefing Boeing hosted last month ahead of the Farnborough Airshow, the aerospace industry’s marquee trade event.

Through the end of May, Boeing had roughly 4,850 net orders for the MAX 8 and nearly 1,500 for the MAX 10. It had just over 500 orders for the MAX 9 and 280 for the MAX 7.

Boeing said Monday it still expects to certify the MAX 10 this year. It expects first delivery from its 777X family in 2027.

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