United Airlines, which was a launch customer of Boeing's 737 Max 10, is currently not planning to receive the first of that type until 2027 or 2028 due to uncertainty and continuous recognition of the jet.
Additionally, United may not be the first carrier to receive a jet in development, according to Andrew Nocera, the airline's chief commercial officer.
“We are patiently waiting for that certification. We hope to fly up to 10 in 2027 or 2028,” Nocella said at an event in New York City on May 14. “We're continuing to take the Max 9 until it's available.”
United have been a Max 10 launch customer in 2017, and announced that it has converted orders for unspecified variations of the 100 737 Max into orders for up to teens. Initially, it was expected to receive the first type in 2020.
Since then, United have ordered up to 10 more. According to fleet analytics provider Cirium, 167 variants are currently ordered in Boeing.
However, Boeing is struggling to bring the largest 737 variants, the Max 10 and the smallest Max 7 through certification. It was maintained by an increase in scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration in the wake of two 737 Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing is still working to ensure the required FAA regulatory exemption before certification. These exemptions include those related to jet stall-managed yawdumpers, systems that do not meet the current design requirements.
Boeing says it intends to first achieve MAX 7 certification before achieving MAX 10 certification.
With the Max 10 now Limbo, United is getting an additional 737 Max 9.
“We were originally intended to be… a maximum of 10 first delivery customers,” says Nocera of United. “We may not be, and that's completely fine. We want to see our aircraft certified before we make a firm commitment to converting it to a 9 generation.”
