EVERETT, Wash. — Boeing’s long-delayed 737 Max 10 has cleared a major hurdle: The Federal Aviation Administration approved the aircraft for passenger service Tuesday, Oct. 20, after years of technical and regulatory delays. The approval lets Boeing move toward delivering and selling the plane to airlines, but it does not mean passengers will board a Max 10 immediately. Boeing expects deliveries to begin in 2027, and the company must continue showing it can build aircraft to the approved design. Each completed jet also needs clearance before it can fly passengers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA’s decision followed extensive safety reviews and thousands of hours of test flights. Speaking at Boeing’s factory in Everett, he called the certification a win for American manufacturing and noted that nearly a decade had passed since the aircraft was unveiled. The Max 10, introduced at the 2017 Paris Air Show, is the largest version of Boeing’s single-aisle 737 Max family. Boeing says it will typically seat 185 to 210 passengers, compared with 175 to 195 on the Max 9 and 160 to 180 on the Max 8. The company designed it to carry more passengers while using less fuel than older aircraft, an advantage for airlines looking to contain operating costs. More than 30 airlines worldwide have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that remain undelivered, representing more than 30% of Boeing’s 737 Max backlog. United, Delta, American and Ryanair are among the customers. Alaska Airlines added an order for 105 aircraft in January, with options for 35 more. The aircraft is intended to help Boeing compete with Airbus’s A321neo family. The largest A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refueling, giving airlines a competing option in the busy single-aisle market. Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Stephanie Pope called the approval a milestone in the company’s recovery and said it opens a path to future growth. Boeing has faced intense scrutiny over safety, manufacturing quality and production problems. Two fatal crashes involving the smaller Max 8 in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. In 2024, a door-sized fuselage panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9 during flight, renewing questions about Boeing’s production controls. The FAA tightened its oversight of Boeing after the crashes. The agency has since gradually eased some restrictions, including raising production limits and allowing Boeing to resume issuing airworthiness certificates for some finished aircraft. The regulator’s approval of the Max 10 is a significant step for the company, but sustained production discipline will be essential to turning the order backlog into safe, delivered planes.