BRUSSELS/SEATTLE, March 19 (Reuters) - European budget

carrier Ryanair expects Boeing ( BA ) to get

certification of its 737 MAX 10 aircraft in the third quarter,

with deliveries set for early next year, CEO ​Michael O'Leary

told Reuters on Thursday at an event in Brussels.

That is more specific timing than Boeing ( BA ) has provided.

Boeing ( BA ) did not immediately comment on O'Leary's statement.

Certifying and beginning deliveries of the largest of its

737 MAX family is critical for Boeing's ( BA ) financial recovery

following years of crashes, crises and regulatory problems. The

737-10 competes with European rival Airbus's A321neo,

which has been in service since 2017.

Ireland-based Ryanair ordered 150 MAX 10s in 2023, with

options for another 150. The airline already operates

high-density 737 MAX 8s.

Boeing ( BA ) plans to build 30 737-10s this year for delivery in

2027, Chief Financial ​Officer Jay Malave said on Tuesday at the

Bank of America Global Industrials Conference in London.

Malave said the company is on track to certify the two

remaining 737 MAX variants - the 737-7 and -10 - in the second

half of the year.

"There's a number of aircraft systems and capabilities and

functions that will have to ​be (flight-) tested" before the

planes are certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation

Administration, he said at the event.

Those include the models' autopilot systems and engine

anti-icing systems.

Boeing ( BA ) has delivered more than 2,000 of the other two MAX

variants -- the 737-8 and 737-9, which are in service around the

world.