Air Data News
• Ricardo Meier
The FAA has approved Boeing’s 737 MAX 7, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the smallest MAX variant. Southwest Airlines expects its first deliveries only near the end of 2026, while Boeing prepares 27 previously built aircraft for eventual entry into service.
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The FAA has approved Boeing’s 737 MAX 7, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the smallest MAX variant. Southwest Airlines expects its first deliveries only near the end of 2026, while Boeing prepares 27 previously built aircraft for eventual entry into service.
Commercial aerospace backlogs now stretch beyond a decade, with OEM delivery rates too low to materially reduce accumulated demand. The imbalance is extending lead times, intensifying pressure on suppliers and leaving airlines, lessors and manufacturers managing capacity, production and planning constraints well into the future.
Embraer has delivered the first of two C-390 Millennium transports ordered by Uzbekistan, making it the type’s first Central Asian operator. In parallel, the airframer is again positioning the aircraft for the U.S. Air Force as a flexible multi-mission airlift and tanker supplement to Boeing’s KC-46.
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Airbus has confirmed that the A350F prototype, MSN700, is scheduled to make its first flight on 29 September in Toulouse after completing two high-speed rejected-takeoff tests. The milestone moves the long-awaited freighter toward certification, with deliveries targeted for late 2027.
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Alaska Airlines expects the FAA to certify Boeing’s largest 737 MAX variant by the end of September 2026, potentially within days. Approval would advance fleet plans at Alaska, American, Delta and United, while Boeing has also secured a Turkish Airlines commitment for up to 150 MAX aircraft.
Vietnam’s Sun PhuQuoc Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A330-200, aircraft VN-A969 (MSN 1415), according to parent company Sun Group. The aircraft marks the airline’s entry into widebody operations and adds a new operator to the A330-200 fleet.
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Alaska Air expects Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 to receive certification by the end of September, with the airline planning to take delivery of its first aircraft next spring, Chief Operating Officer Jason Berry told Reuters. The timeline provides a target for the aircraft’s entry into Alaska’s fleet.
Heart Aerospace has replaced its previously announced ES-30 with the 36-seat ES-36, a hybrid-electric regional aircraft. JSX has committed to up to 100 aircraft, with commercial service targeted for 2031, establishing an initial customer and a defined timeline for the program’s market entry.
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