US warns hundreds of Boeing jets may require seat safety inspections

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing the FAA and Reuters, reports that the US Federal Aviation Administration has raised a safety concern involving seats on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The regulator said Monday that seats on 453 US-registered jets may have been fitted incorrectly and proposed making inspections mandatory for airlines operating those planes.

According to the report, the FAA warned that improperly installed seats could detach in an emergency landing, posing a risk to passengers and crew and potentially obstructing aisles during an evacuation. The proposed directive would cover only aircraft registered in the United States, because the FAA’s authority does not extend to foreign carriers, though regulators in other countries often consider FAA actions when the same aircraft operate in their jurisdictions.

Boeing told Reuters that it had already sent guidance to operators on the issue in December 2025 and said it supported the FAA’s move to make that guidance compulsory. Al Jazeera noted that the 737 MAX remains widely used, with aviation data firm IBA estimating nearly 2,300 of the jets in service globally, including 823 in the US.

The development adds to continuing scrutiny of Boeing’s safety practices. Al Jazeera referenced the January 2024 Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 incident, when a cabin panel detached in flight and the FAA grounded 171 aircraft. Investigators later found missing bolts, and in June 2025 the National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing had not provided sufficient training, guidance and oversight to prevent that event.