12:52 PM EDT, 03/12/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Boeing's ( BA ) response in the sixth paragraph.)

United Airlines (UAL) has asked Boeing ( BA ) to start building Max 9 jets instead of Max 10s while waiting for the Max 10 to get certified, Chief Executive Scott Kirby said at a JPMorgan investor conference Tuesday.

United will opt back to the Max 10 after the plane gets certified, although "it's impossible to say" when a certification would be issued, Kirby said, according to a Capital IQ transcript of the interview.

"If and when the Max 10 gets certified, we'll convert them back to -- we'll convert forward-looking to Max 10s. But Max 10 is out for us until it's certified," Kirby was quoted in the transcript.

The company is considering replacing part of its order for 277 Max 10s with A321s, Kirby also said.

"We are in the market, we've been pretty public in the market, for A321s. And if we get a deal that the economics work, then we'll do something," he said.

"We are squarely focused on implementing changes to strengthen quality across our production system and taking the necessary time to deliver high-quality airplanes that meet all regulatory requirements," Boeing ( BA ) said in response to MT Newswires' query.

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