By Gabriel Araujo and Luciana Magalhaes
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 9 (Reuters) - Brazilian aviation regulator ANAC expects its U.S. counterpart, the Federal Aviation Administration, to certify the Boeing 737 MAX 10 this year and will work quickly to validate the decision locally, agency head Tiago Faierstein told Reuters.
Certification of the MAX 10, which has been long delayed, would be key for Boeing and carriers such as Brazilian airline Gol, which is counting on the largest variant of the 737 narrowbody
for its growth plans.
"Because that is an FAA timeline, I can't really comment, but I strongly believe it will happen this year," Faierstein said in an interview on the sidelines of a gathering of global airline chiefs in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
"We will work to make it quick here as well. We know Gol really needs these aircraft."
ANAC and the FAA are both members of the Certification Management Team (CMT), which also includes the European and Canadian regulators.
Boeing has faced delays in the certification of its MAX 7 and MAX 10 models due to an engine de-icing issue.
Following a visit to the United States in May, Faierstein also called for cooperation between Brazilian and U.S. authorities to certify a new class of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Embraer's Eve has given Brazil a strong start in the race to develop the battery-powered aircraft that can ferry travelers on short city trips, helping to beat traffic.
Eve recently pushed back the timeline for its eVTOL vehicle to enter service, to 2028 from 2027, after it slipped previously from an initial 2026 target.
Faierstein said the new time frame was realistic amid work to develop an ecosystem for the vehicle, including recharging infrastructure, pilot licensing and air-traffic-control rules.
"Regarding the aircraft process, we are very confident. Embraer is making progress and the tests have been successful. The issue is the ecosystem," the ANAC head said.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo and Luciana Magalhaes in Rio de JaneiroEditing by Brad Haynes and Matthew Lewis)
