The FAA notoriously stripped Boeing of this right for the MAX lineup in 2019, following the tragic second crash in Ethiopia. Three years later, in 2022, the agency revoked the same authority for 787 airplanes due to nagging production quality issues. Since then, government inspectors have had to manually sign off on every individual plane before it could be delivered to airlines, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
So, what changed?
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In an email sent to Congress on Friday, the FAA explained that the decision comes after “months of thorough data and safety review.” According to the agency, Boeing has finally demonstrated the consistent production quality needed to regain this responsibility.
While Boeing will now be able to issue its own airworthiness certificates, the FAA was quick to note that this will still happen under their strict, ongoing oversight.
For Boeing, this is a monumental victory. As the company aggressively pushes to ramp up production and clear a massive backlog of aircraft orders, getting its ticketing authority back removes a major bottleneck and signals a critical turning point in its years-long road to recovery.
