Alaska Airlines CEO Dismisses New Boeing Max 10 Delay

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said Tuesday he is "not overly concerned" about a new software glitch that further delays certification of Boeing's 737 Max 10, a plane already years behind schedule.

His comments came hours after Alaska unveiled a sweeping cabin overhaul across its fleet, adding more premium seats, including lie-flat suites on the Max 10 that are slated to start flying in late 2028.

Minicucci told CNBC's Phil LeBeau that the launch could be postponed if the latest Max 10 delay stretches several months. The Seattle-based airline is working with the FAA and Boeing on certification, he added.

The delay stems from a software problem that Boeing disclosed over the weekend. The company said it recently flagged the issue — which could cut off some automated navigation information to pilots — in an updated software program sent to airlines. The glitch could occur with the vertical navigation system after an aircraft misses an approach and has to go around and line up to land again.

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters Monday that the agency is assessing the software issue and that its approval of the aircraft will be delayed. His remarks sent Boeing shares down sharply.

The Max 10 is the last model of Boeing's best-selling Max family still waiting for federal approval. Alaska, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines all count among its customers. Boeing's CEO said earlier this month that he expected approval of the Max 10 "very soon."

Not everyone shares Minicucci's calm. Michael O'Leary, CEO of European budget carrier Ryanair, which is also a Max 10 customer, told reporters at a conference in Warsaw, Poland, earlier Tuesday that he expected the Max 10 certification to come in "a matter of days, not weeks or months," Reuters reported.

The diverging timetables — Bedford's open-ended delay assessment against O'Leary's days-not-months prediction — leave airlines planning around an aircraft whose arrival date remains undefined. For Alaska, the premium cabin bet increases the stakes: the lie-flat suites announced Tuesday anchor the airline's most visible product upgrade to a plane that has yet to clear its final regulatory hurdle.