First Boeing 737 Max certified by FAA since jet’s 2019 grounding

The first approval for Boeing Co. to deliver a newly built 737 Max since the plane was grounded in March 2019 was granted on Monday by U.S. aviation regulators.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement the approval of what is known as an airworthiness certificate. Even though the FAA lifted its grounding of the jet on Nov. 18, the agency is inspecting each aircraft individually before the company can deliver one to a customer.

“We expect to have sufficient number of inspectors on hand to meet Boeing’s planned delivery schedule for the foreseeable future,” the agency said in the statement. The FAA declined to comment on Boeing’s plans for delivering the plane.

The Max was grounded after two fatal crashes linked to a flight-control system on the plane. The system was redesigned and other actions were taken to improve the plane’s safety.

A Boeing spokeswoman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

The airworthiness certificate was earlier reported by Reuters.