Southwest and United asked Boeing for earlier software version
The Federal Aviation Administration is delaying certification of Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 as regulators assess a newly identified software glitch that some industry officials said could pose a potential safety risk during landing, Bedford told reporters at a Monday press conference. “We haven’t concluded whether this is a safety-of-flight issue or not,” Bedford said. “But we will be delaying the 10 until we’re satisfied that we don’t have an issue here.”
The 737 MAX 10 is the longest version of the 737 variant. Industry and government officials had told the Wall Street Journal that regulators were expected to approve the aircraft for passenger service as soon as October. The FAA has not telegraphed publicly when it had been planning to certify the plane.
The glitch emerged from a cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews alter their planned flight path following a missed approach, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported over the weekend that Boeing had identified the issue. In a certain scenario, pilots may have to fly manually without some autopilot functions. Industry officials told the Journal that situation could overwork pilots while they are already busy, at low altitude and possibly dealing with bad weather.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have asked Boeing for an earlier software version instead of receiving planes with the flawed software, according to the Journal. A Boeing spokesman said: “We continue to follow the lead of the FAA as we work through the certification process.” The company said it was working with airlines on a procedure to allow pilots to re-enable the automated navigation feature if needed and was devising a software fix.
Bedford emphasized that the current issue differs significantly from the faulty flight-control system that played a major role in the 2018 and 2019 crashes of 737 MAX jets. “It doesn’t take control away from the pilots,” Bedford said. “The pilots remain in control of the airplane. They train for these scenarios. So I think the issue that we’re looking at right now is the workload component under these more obscure situations and how we feel about that.” The earlier crashes grounded the 737 MAX fleet for nearly two years and led to extended scrutiny that delayed FAA approvals for newer versions of the jet.
The FAA in August certified the smallest variant of the aircraft, the 737 MAX 7, with the software bug, and Bedford on Monday said those planes were nonetheless safe. He compared the glitch to a software bug with a phone or computer software update. Bedford said such software updates often try to fix various issues with new versions. The software in question was developed by GE Aerospace, which did not immediately comment Monday.
“I think in this particular case, due to the focus that’s on it, GE may try to get this software correction in much quicker,” Bedford said. “Is that weeks, days, months? It remains to be seen.”
Boeing’s stock fell 6.9 percent on Monday, its largest single-day drop since April 2025.