The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new airworthiness directive requiring inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over the potential development of cracks in the fuselage structure near the forward galley door.

The directive covers 471 US-registered aircraft, including the Boeing 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200.

The issue concerns the so-called bear strap, a structural reinforcement around the door cutout, specifically in the area of the forward upper corner of the forward galley door opening.

Importantly, the FAA has so far not received reports of such cracks on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The cracking was previously detected on aircraft from the 737NG family, including the 737-600, -700, -800, -900 and -900ER.

Boeing’s investigation found that the cracks on 737NG aircraft were linked to high operational stresses in the fuselage skin and the associated structural reinforcement, with stress concentration occurring around the corner of the door opening.

Because the 737 MAX uses a similar structural design and manufacturing process in this area, the FAA concluded that the same condition could potentially develop on the newer generation of the aircraft.

The regulator warned that cracks in the fuselage skin and bear strap, if not detected and corrected, could reduce the ability of a principal structural element to sustain limit loads and ultimately affect the structural integrity of the aircraft.

The new directive is based on Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 737-53A1408 RB, issued in December 2024. Operators are required to carry out an external visual inspection of the fuselage skin to identify any existing repairs.

Depending on the condition of an individual aircraft, further inspections may also be required, including detailed visual checks as well as high-frequency and low-frequency eddy-current inspections to detect cracks that may not be visible during a standard visual inspection.

The FAA began the rulemaking process in November 2025 with the publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking.

The regulator estimated that the initial external inspection would require approximately one labor hour per aircraft. Based on a labor rate of $85 per hour, the total estimated cost of the basic inspection for the 471 affected US-registered aircraft is $40,035.

If more detailed inspections and eddy-current testing are required, the FAA estimates up to four labor hours per inspection cycle, equivalent to as much as $340 per aircraft. The total cost to US operators could reach approximately $160,140 per inspection cycle, excluding potential repair costs.

The directive will become effective on September 10, 2026.

The measure effectively extends an inspection approach already introduced for the previous generation of the Boeing 737. In 2024, the FAA issued AD 2024-06-01 requiring inspections of the same fuselage area on 737NG aircraft following reports of cracking.

The latest requirement comes only weeks after the FAA launched another regulatory action involving the Boeing 737 MAX.

In late July, the regulator proposed a separate airworthiness directive covering 453 aircraft over concerns that some passenger seat assemblies may have been improperly installed in the cabin floor seat tracks. That proposal also applies to certain 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft.

In that case, the concern is not the seat structure itself, but the way the seats are secured to the floor tracks. The FAA warned that an incorrectly installed seat could detach from the track during an emergency landing, potentially injuring passengers or crew members and partially obstructing the aisle during an evacuation.

Boeing had already issued service instructions in December 2025 calling for detailed inspections of the attachment of each affected seat assembly.

The FAA estimates that an individual aircraft could contain as many as 69 affected track-mounted passenger seat assemblies, with the total inspection cost for US operators potentially reaching approximately $2.66 million.

Unlike the fuselage inspection directive, which has now been formally adopted, the passenger-seat measure remains a proposed airworthiness directive. Interested parties may submit comments to the FAA until September 10, 2026.

The two measures introduced within a relatively short period once again place the focus on continued regulatory oversight of the 737 MAX fleet, although they concern two unrelated technical issues.

In the case of the fuselage structure, the FAA is taking preventive action based on a condition previously identified on the 737NG generation, while the passenger-seat issue concerns the installation of individual seat assemblies on certain aircraft.