Alaska Airlines (ALK.N) CEO Ben Minicucci said Wednesday that the airline is “anxious” to get the larger Boeing 737 MAX 10 once it is certified to enable it to carry more passengers.
Before the MAX 10, Boeing (BA.N) must gain FAA clearance for its smaller MAX 7.
Regulatory scrutiny has increased after the MAX 8’s 2018 and 2019 deadly crashes, delaying both models.
“Basically we like bigger airplanes,” Minicucci remarked in an interview about the MAX 10, which can accommodate 189 people compared to 178 on the MAX 9. “For essentially the same trip costs I put 11 more passengers on.”
Alaska Airlines exercised options to buy 52 MAX aircraft between 2024 and 2027 and obtained rights for 105 additional jets through 2030 in October. The business ordered 48 MAX 10s Wednesday.
“We’re anxious that it gets approved,” Minicucci added. “Of course it has to be safe and certified appropriately but we’ll be big fans of the -10 when it comes out.”
On May 31, Boeing said certification of the MAX 7 is taking a “considerable amount of time” due to increased documentation requirements. However, the planemaker still expects approval by the end of the year.
Boeing needs the MAX 7 and MAX 10 to compete with Airbus (AIR.PA) for narrowbody orders at the smaller and larger ends.
Minicucci said Alaska has a solid connection with Boeing, which makes the MAX near its Seattle headquarters and is forthright about supply chain difficulties.
“They walked us through every production glitch that they’ve had,” Minicucci added. “They brief us every two weeks.”
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