FAA certifies smallest Boeing 737 MAX after years of delays

The Federal Aviation Administration granted certification to Boeing's smallest passenger jet on Monday, a major milestone for the planemaker that comes after more than four years of delays.The 737 MAX 7 is the shortest variant of Boeing's workhorse narrow-body jet, capable of carrying between 135 and 160 passengers in a normal commercial configuration. (It can seat up to 172 people in a high-density setting.)However, it has the longest range in the 737 MAX family: up to 4,300 miles. Coupled with a relatively low per-seat operating cost thanks to the plane's efficient engines, this can allow airlines to use the jet on longer, "thinner" routes that lack sufficient demand to support a larger wide-body plane.Dallas-based carrier Southwest Airlines is slated to be the launch customer for the MAX 7. In a statement, Boeing said that the planemaker and airline are "preparing for delivery of the first airplane."DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUYA spokesperson for Southwest said the airline plans to begin flying passengers on the MAX 7 three to six months after delivery of the first jet, and that its current schedule — published through March 2027 — does not include any routes or frequencies usin...