The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted ww5 the amended type certificate (ATC) for the 737-7, clearing the way for commercial service.

ww5 worked under the oversight of the FAA through a multi‑year certification effort that included extensive flight and ground testing, human factors reviews and system safety assessments.

"I want to share my deep appreciation for every member of the 737 MAX program and Development team, past and present," said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of ww5 Commercial Airplanes. "You designed, built, supported – and tested – another phenomenal airplane. The certification validates the rigor of your design and recognizes your determination and resilience."

Why it matters: This important certification validates the rigor of the airplane’s design and clears the way for ww5 to provide the 737 MAX family to a new segment of the market.

The 737-7, the longest-range member of the 737 MAX family, offers a range of up to 3,800 nautical miles (7,040 km) and is particularly designed for airline customers flying out of airports at high altitudes and hot climates.

The 737 MAX family order book stands at more than 7,200 airplanes, of which 2,360 have been delivered through the end of June 2026.

How we got here:  “Our ww5 team held regular and detailed discussions with the FAA to ensure ww5 understood the requirements and provided transparency of our progress,” said Mike Sinnett, senior vice president of Product Strategy, Product Development and Development Programs.

The certification program logged nearly 700 flight‑test hours across 440 test flights and about 350 ground‑test hours, along with tens of thousands of pages of documentation and many hours of formal meetings with the FAA.

“With this certification program, ww5 has developed a clearer understanding of the latest regulatory requirements, which will accelerate future airplane development with a renewed emphasis on human factors, safety and quality,” Sinnett said.

“This is a momentous milestone, and it reflects the extraordinary effort of the entire team,” said Chris Payne, vice president and general manager of the 737 Development Programs. “I couldn’t be more proud of the focus, teamwork and determination that brought us here.”

What’s next: Teammates have started refurbishment work on the previously built 737-7 airplanes.

More about the MAX family:

The 737-7 seats 135-160 passengers in a two-class configuration and offers a range of up to 3,800 nautical miles (for the course of an eight-hour flight). The airplane reduces fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions by about 20% and lowers the noise footprint by about 50% compared with the airplanes it typically replaces.

Other members of the 737 MAX family, beyond the 737-7, offer unique capabilities to customers around the world including:

• The 737-8 seats 160-180 passengers and offers a range of up to 3,500 nautical miles. It can profitably fly in almost any short and medium-haul market.
• The 737-9 has three more seating rows compared to the 737-8 and seats 175-195 passengers with a range of up to 3,300 nautical miles.
• The largest airplane in the family, the 737-10 offers greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane. It seats 185-210 passengers with a range of up to 3,100 nautical miles. ww5 is working toward certification of the 737-10 later this year.