In a proposed airworthiness directive issued on Monday, the FAA said 453 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft registered in the United States may require inspections to determine whether passenger seat assemblies were correctly installed in the seat tracks.
According to the agency, incorrectly installed seats could detach under increased loads, severe turbulence or during an emergency landing, potentially injuring passengers and crew members. The defect could also obstruct aircraft aisles and delay emergency evacuations.
The FAA said it received a report indicating that some passenger seat assemblies had not been properly secured to the seat tracks, prompting the proposed directive.
The agency estimates that each affected aircraft could have as many as 69 track-mounted passenger seat assemblies requiring inspection. It said inspecting each assembly would take about one work hour, while any necessary corrective work would require an additional hour. No replacement parts would be needed, and airlines could deploy multiple maintenance personnel simultaneously to reduce the overall inspection time for each aircraft.
The FAA did not specify a deadline by which airlines would be required to complete the inspections and any necessary repairs.
The proposed directive applies only to aircraft registered in the US, as the FAA’s regulatory authority is limited to domestic operators. However, aviation authorities in other countries typically adopt similar directives where applicable.
According to aviation advisory and intelligence firm IBA, nearly 2,300 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are currently in service worldwide, including 823 operating in the United States.
The latest safety measure comes as Boeing continues efforts to strengthen manufacturing quality and increase aircraft production under Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg.
The company has been under heightened regulatory scrutiny since January 2024, when a door plug panel detached from a nearly new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX during flight, exposing shortcomings in its production quality controls.
Responding to the FAA’s proposal, a Boeing spokesperson said the aircraft manufacturer had already issued guidance to operators regarding the issue in December 2025.
“We support the FAA making that guidance mandatory,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
