Ryanair expects the latest delay in the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 10 to last only a few days, CEO Michael O’Leary said on Tuesday, a day after the Federal Aviation Administration halted the approval process over a flight management software issue.
Speaking at a conference in Warsaw, O’Leary said he expects the setback to be “a matter of days, not weeks or months,” according to Reuters.
The comments come less than a week after the executive said certification of the largest 737 MAX variant was expected within weeks. Ryanair plans to receive its first 15 737 MAX 10s in spring 2027.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Monday that the agency would delay certification until it was satisfied that a recently disclosed problem with the flight management computer software had been resolved.
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Bedford did not provide a new timetable. He said it was unclear whether a solution would take days, weeks or months, although supplier GE Aerospace could accelerate work on a correction.
Version 14.1
The issue affects versions 14 and 14.1 of the flight management computer software. Under a specific sequence of events after a missed approach, the vertical navigation mode, or VNAV, can disengage.
The MAX 10 used version 14.1 during its certification flight-test program. Boeing had completed the flight tests and appeared close to receiving approval before the software problem delayed the process.
Ryanair has 150 MAX 10s on firm order and options for another 150, making the aircraft central to its future fleet expansion. O’Leary said in July that Boeing was then targeting certification around mid-October.
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Ryanair has meanwhile received the final aircraft from its previous order for 210 737 MAX 8-200s. O’Leary said Tuesday that Boeing delivered 29 aircraft to the airline during the summer and that he had seen signs of progress in production and quality.
The Irish group expects the MAX 10 to carry 228 passengers, 31 more than its 197-seat MAX 8-200s. Its firm order is scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2033.
