UTC expects Boeing to maintain 737 MAX production rate in 2019

(Reuters) - United Technologies <UTX.N> expects its customer Boeing <BA.N> to keep producing 42 737 MAX planes per month in 2019, allaying fears of a manufacturing pause that could cost billions of dollars in losses for the planemaker and its suppliers, Chief Financial Officer Akhil Johri told Reuters on Tuesday.

His comments come a day after several analysts raised doubts about Boeing's ability to keep producing the planes amid fresh uncertainty over the time frame for the jet's return to service.

"We continue to work on a daily basis with Boeing," Johri said, adding that UTC will get more clarity on the planemaker's 2020 production plan by January.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)