FAA proposes seat inspections on 453 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over safety risk

Dubai: Passengers travelling on certain Boeing 737 MAX aircraft could face new safety inspections after US regulators received a report that some seat assemblies were incorrectly secured to the aircraft floor tracks.

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a new airworthiness directive covering certain Boeing 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft, with an estimated 453 US-registered planes potentially affected.

Airlines would be required to conduct detailed inspections of the fittings connecting each track-mounted passenger seat assembly to the left and right seat tracks. Any seats found to have been installed incorrectly would need to be secured properly.

The FAA said the proposal followed a report that the aft fitting shear plungers on certain passenger seats had not been lowered correctly and were not engaged with the seat tracks.

An incorrectly installed seat assembly could disengage when exposed to increased loads, turbulence or an emergency landing, potentially injuring passengers and crew.

A detached seat could also move into the aisle and delay an evacuation, according to the regulator.

“The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in injury to passengers and crew during an emergency landing or could block the aisle, which could slow evacuation,” the FAA said in its proposal.

The regulator determined that the same installation problem could exist or develop on other aircraft sharing the affected design.

Boeing issued inspection and installation guidance to operators in December 2025 through a special requirements bulletin covering the affected seat assemblies.

A Boeing spokesperson said the company supported the regulator’s proposal to make the guidance compulsory.

The required work would include checking the seat track fittings on each affected passenger seat assembly and correctly installing any assembly found to be improperly secured.

Compliance deadlines would be based on the timetable contained in Boeing’s December 2025 bulletin, with the effective date of the final directive used to calculate the inspection period.

The FAA estimates that inspecting each seat assembly would require one hour of labour at a cost of $85, with no parts required.

Aircraft configurations vary, although the regulator estimates that each plane could have up to 69 track-mounted passenger seat assemblies. The total inspection bill for US operators could reach $2.66 million.

Any corrective installation identified during the inspections would require an additional hour of labour and cost up to $85 per affected seat assembly, with no parts expense expected.

The FAA said it could not determine how many aircraft would require corrective work because the number would depend on the inspection results.

Some or all of the expense may be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, which could reduce the cost to affected airlines.

- With inputs from agencies.