FILE PHOTO: A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is assembled at the company's plant in Renton, Washington, U.S. June 25, 2024. Jennifer Buchanan/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration will allow Boeing to issue airworthiness certificates for some 737 MAX and 787 airplanes starting next week after years of retaining the authority, a source told Reuters.

The FAA has for years continued to inspect each 737 MAX and 787 aircraft before an airworthiness certificate is issued and cleared for delivery. Typically, the FAA delegates airplane ticketing authority to the manufacturer.

Under the new program to be announced Friday, Boeing and the FAA will issue airworthiness certificates on alternating weeks, the source added.

The FAA and Boeing did not immediately comment.

The FAA has not lifted the production cap of 38 737 MAX planes per month that has been in place since early 2024 after a mid-air cabin blowout incident involving a new Alaska Airlines MAX airplane missing four key bolts.

(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Tasim Zahid and Chizu Nomiyama )