On Monday, September 29, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will officially restore Boeing’s authority to issue its own airworthiness certificates for new 737 MAX and 787 aircraft—a privilege the aerospace giant has not held for the MAX since 2019 and for the 787 since 2022. This regulatory shift, reported by multiple outlets including One Mile at a Time and Barron's, marks a major turning point for Boeing, an embattled company still working to regain trust after years of safety crises, production delays, and intense regulatory scrutiny.
The FAA’s decision comes after a thorough review of Boeing’s ongoing production quality and safety management systems. According to One Mile at a Time, the move is designed to let FAA inspectors focus more on active surveillance of the production process, rather than certifying every single aircraft themselves. Under the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, selected organizations—like Boeing—are authorized to perform certain certification functions on behalf of the FAA, including issuing airworthiness and production certifications for aircraft. As of next week, this means Boeing and the FAA will alternate responsibility for certifying new 737 MAX and 787 jets on a weekly basis, as reported by Barron's.
For Boeing, this is a breath of fresh air after a long period in the regulatory penalty box. The company’s ability to self-certify was suspended following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019—Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines—events that shook the aviation world and led to the global grounding of the MAX fleet. Since then, Boeing has also faced additional quality control issues, including a widely publicized cabin door blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX flight in January 2024. These problems prompted not only the loss of self-certification rights but also tighter production caps and more hands-on oversight from the FAA.
As Barron's notes, the FAA’s move to ease restrictions and restore some certification authority to Boeing is a strong signal of renewed regulatory confidence in the company’s safety protocols and quality control measures. The FAA maintains, however, that safety remains at the core of every decision it makes. "The FAA is only allowing this step because it’s confident that it can be done safely," One Mile at a Time reports. This is not a free pass for Boeing: the agency will continue to cap Boeing’s production at 38 aircraft per month, a limit imposed after the Alaska Airlines incident. Inspectors will also be stepping up their presence on the factory floor, observing critical assembly stages, examining trends, ensuring mechanics are working to approved type designs and engineering requirements, and assessing Boeing’s Safety Management System (SMS).
Importantly, FAA inspectors will also be keeping a close eye on Boeing’s safety culture. According to One Mile at a Time, there will be an emphasis on making sure Boeing employees feel empowered to report safety issues without fear of retaliation—a key lesson from past crises, where whistleblowers sometimes felt ignored or marginalized.
For the traveling public and airlines alike, the regulatory change could spell faster deliveries and a more predictable supply chain. Boeing has struggled to meet demand in recent years, with delivery bottlenecks frustrating airlines eager to expand or modernize their fleets as the industry recovers from the pandemic. The ability to self-certify—albeit under close FAA scrutiny—should help Boeing deliver planes more efficiently, a point highlighted by One Mile at a Time: "This is definitely positive news in terms of Boeing being able to deliver planes more efficiently, which has been a massive issue for the company in recent years."
The financial markets have already reacted to the news. As Barron's reported, Boeing stock surged 4.21% in premarket trading on Friday, September 26, 2025, rising to $222.46 following the regulatory update. The stock had dipped slightly the day before, but the jump reflects investor optimism about Boeing’s operational prospects. Year-to-date, Boeing shares have gained 20.64%, outpacing broader market trends despite ongoing operational challenges. The company’s market capitalization now stands at approximately $161.46 billion, with analyst price targets averaging $253.64 and ranging from $150 to $287.
Recent months have also brought Boeing a series of new orders, including major deals with Turkish Airlines and Norwegian Group. These contracts have bolstered the company’s substantial order backlog, providing further support for investor sentiment. The combination of a strong backlog, improved regulatory relationships, and the potential for increased production efficiency has analysts cautiously optimistic about Boeing’s recovery trajectory. Still, as Barron's notes, execution risks remain, given the company’s recent history of operational difficulties.
Not everyone is convinced the move is entirely positive. Some observers, as noted in One Mile at a Time, worry that restoring self-certification authority to Boeing reflects a broader anti-regulation attitude within the current administration. Skeptics question whether any for-profit, publicly traded company can truly be trusted to police itself, especially after such a troubled recent past. However, there is a sense—both inside and outside Boeing—that the company’s leadership now has a mandate to prioritize quality and long-term sustainability over short-term profits. As the article puts it, "I do believe that the top executives at Boeing now finally have the mandate to focus on quality and long term sustainability over short term profits, so in that sense, I do think progress has been made."
For the FAA, the restoration of Boeing’s self-certification privileges is not a return to business as usual. The agency insists that the decision was made only after a comprehensive review of Boeing’s production quality and safety management systems. FAA inspectors will remain deeply involved in the process, focusing on areas where their oversight can have the greatest impact. There will be more inspectors on the ground, more scrutiny of assembly procedures, and a renewed focus on the company’s internal safety culture.
It’s a delicate balancing act: making sure Boeing can meet the demands of a growing global aviation market, while ensuring that every aircraft rolling off the assembly line is safe for passengers and crew. The FAA’s approach—allowing Boeing to self-certify under close supervision, while maintaining production caps and ramping up surveillance—reflects the complexities of modern aviation regulation. It’s a system built on trust, but also on verification and accountability.
As Boeing regains some of its autonomy, all eyes will be on whether the company can deliver on its promises of improved safety, quality, and reliability. For airlines, investors, and travelers, the next few months will be a crucial test of whether Boeing has truly turned a corner—or if more turbulence lies ahead.
With regulatory confidence tentatively restored, Boeing faces both an opportunity and a challenge: to prove that lessons from the past have been learned, and that the company is ready to soar safely into the future.