SEATTLE, May 28 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) expects to

finish certification of its best-selling 737 MAX family by the

end of the year, CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an interview with

trade publication Aviation Week published on Wednesday.

The company has been trying for several years to gain

certification for the smallest and largest MAX variants from the

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The MAX 7 and MAX 10 have

been delayed in part due to concerns with the engine de-icing

system.

Ortberg told Aviation Week that the U.S. planemaker hopes to

finish certification this year, clearing the way to start

deliveries of the MAX 7 and MAX 10, "two airplanes that are

very, very important to our customers and our backlog."

Boeing's ( BA ) backlog includes nearly 1,200 orders for the 737

MAX 10 and 332 orders for the MAX 7.

United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella

this month told reporters that the company does not expect to

take delivery of MAX 10s until 2027 at the earliest. Alaska

Airlines officials have said they do not expect to

receive the variant until at least mid-2026.

Ortberg also said in the Aviation Week interview that Boeing ( BA ) was

making progress on certifying the 777-9, the company's largest

jetliner in production.

When the program was announced in 2013, Boeing ( BA ) planned to

start deliveries in 2020. However, it is still in flight

testing. Ortberg has previously said publicly that he expects

deliveries to start next year.

Boeing ( BA ) has 419 orders for the 777-9, according to its

website.