The $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by the U.S. Congress includes a big Christmas present for Boeing: a waiver that will allow the 737 Max 7 and Max 10 to be certified under existing rules in return for a promise of an upgrade later.
Under a 2020 law passed in the wake of two 737 Max crashes, new aircraft models certified after Dec. 31 would be required to have advanced alerting systems to prevent the MCAS control system from activating on faulty data. The two last models in the Max series, smallest and largest in the line, are waiting for certification.
Boeing's concern has been to keep systems consistent so that pilots certified on one model could fly all, a key advantage for airlines. Under the enacted plan, sponsored by Washington Sen. Cantwell, the two models can be certified under the old standards, but Boeing will need to pay for upgrades to all existing planes within three years of the two models being certified.
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