The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 27/7 proposed a plan to review the operations for 453 Boeing 737 aircraft across the MAX 8, MAX 8-200, and MAX 9 variants registered domestically. This is not an emergency directive, and the reviewed aircraft are not grounded.

The FAA will solicit public comments until 10/9 before deciding whether to issue a formal directive. US aviation authorities have not yet specified a deadline for airlines to complete inspections if the directive is issued.

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft lands in Seattle, Washington, after a test flight in 1/2016. *Photo: Reuters*

The FAA previously received reports about several instances where Boeing 737 MAX seat assemblies were not properly secured to the floor tracks in the cabin.

In these cases, the locking pins at the seat attachments were not lowered and engaged with the tracks. This could cause the seat assembly to dislodge under significant loads, turbulence, or an emergency landing.

"If not corrected, this condition poses a risk of injury to passengers and crew during an emergency landing, and could also obstruct aisles and delay evacuations", the FAA stated.

Each Boeing 737 MAX aircraft can feature up to 69 seat assemblies on tracks. Inspecting and correcting each seat assembly is estimated to take about one hour and does not require component replacement.

The FAA's proposal follows Boeing's release of a service bulletin in 12/2025, in which the manufacturer identified issues during seat installation. A Boeing spokesperson said the company supports the FAA making this bulletin a mandatory rule.

Boeing is working to improve product quality and increase sales. The company's quality issues gained attention in early 2024 after a door plug detached mid-air from a recently delivered Alaska Airlines 737 MAX aircraft.

Thanh Danh (Reuters, Air Data News)