The US Federal Aviation Administration will require additional inspections of the automated flight controls for certain Boeing 737 Max jets to tighten oversight of the aircraft features that contributed to two fatal crashes prior to their safety upgrades in November 2020. The FAA airworthiness directive scheduled for publication on 23 June will codify recommendations released in December by Boeing calling for checks of the flight controls, stabilizer trim and the primary and secondary aisle stand stabiliser on Max jets with more than 6,000 flight hours. The agency estimates that 72 Max jets registered in the USA and a total of 389 Max jets worldwide will be the first to require three repetitive inspections during existing maintenance schedules. If the additional inspections take 90 hours, then the FAA estimates that compliance with this order will be $7,650 per jet. The FAA in a separate notice highlights "the importance of these inspections" for government regulators and Max operators outside the USA. Failure of the flight controls or the stabiliser features on Max jets "combined with unusual flight maneuvers or with another flight control system failure, could result in reduced controllability of the airplane," the FAA states. Boeing states that it "fully supports the FAA mandate". The flight control software designed for Max aircraft called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) was intended to make the aircraft fly and respond similarly to earlier-generation 737NG aircraft. Investigations of two fatal crashes of Max jets during which 346 people died determined that a contributing factor was pilot response to MCAS software. The FAA in November allowed Max jets to return to service following safety upgrades made during the 20-month grounding. Boeing says 170 of 195 global aviation regulators have since reopened their airspace to Max jets. The US Department of Transportation's top inspector, however, began a new investigation in April to scrutinise how the FAA both grounded and recertificated Max jets.

Boeing’s 737 Max 10, the largest model in the 737 Max family, successfully completed its first flight on 18 June. The flight, from Renton Field in Renton, Washington to Boeing Field in Seattle, kicks off a comprehensive test programme for the variant, the Chicago-based airframer says in a same-day statement. It adds: “Boeing will work closely with regulators to certify the airplane prior to its scheduled entry into service in 2023.” 737 chief pilot Jennifer Henderson states: “The profile we flew allowed us to test the airplane's systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected." According to Boeing, the 737 Max 10 can carry up to 230 passengers and incorporates environmental improvements. Compared to 737NGs, carbon emissions are 14% lower and noise reduced by 50%. Stan Deal, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes states: “The [737 Max 10] is an important part of our customers' fleet plans, giving them more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration on 21 June announced the launch of a Voluntary Safety Reporting Program, aiming to give the 7,400 aviation professionals who oversee companies on behalf of the agency to confidentially report safety concerns without fear of reprisal. The safety reporting programme meets new legal requirements enacted in December following congressional scrutiny of the FAA's certification of Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The new law requires the FAA to take numerous steps to tighten safety oversight following congressional investigations that lax agency regulation failed to address safety gaps that contributed to two fatal Max crashes during which 346 people died. The FAA in August published an independent survey in which the agency's Aviation Safety organisation representatives at companies reported feeling "strongly pressured by industry to meet their production deadlines" and feared being punished if they reported safety concerns that could delay projects they are overseeing. "An open, non-punitive and confidential reporting system allows the agency to address safety sensitive issues that may otherwise have gone unnoticed due to fear of repercussion," the FAA states. The safety reporting programme comes as the FAA faces ongoing scrutiny for its decision to return Max jets to the skies and calls from Congress to tighten its oversight of manufacturing safety at Boeing. While FAA administrator Steve Dickson has defended his decision to lift the flight ban against Max aircraft in November, he says in a statement that “we can never be satisfied with the status quo when it comes to safety". "The free exchange of vital information is a cornerstone of safety and continual improvement,” Dickson says. “We want our employees to know that when they speak up, they can be sure someone is listening.” The FAA says the Voluntary Safety Reporting Program will complement the agency's existing reporting programmes for safety concerns. The agency worked with unions that represent Aviation Safety employees to structure the confidential safety reporting programme including the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists.