Boeing (BA) has temporarily halted deliveries of and cut back on its production plans for its troubled 737 Max. But United Airlines expects to still take delivery of 21 of the planes this year.

After the US market close Tuesday, United parent United Continental (UAL) reported better than expected first quarter earnings, and it reaffirmed earlier profit guidance for the full year. Shares rose nearly 3% immediately after the report.

Executives are set to hold their conference call with analysts and investors on Wednesday morning.

The company said it expects to have a total of 30 Max jets in its fleet by year's end. It is the first 737 Max customer among US airlines to report first quarter results.

United took delivery of four of those jets earlier this year, in addition to five it already head. Then Boeing grounded the planes on March 13 following the fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max. It was the second fatal crash of the jet in less than five months, and investigators believe the problem could be an automatic safety feature that forced its nose down. Boeing is seeking a software fix to address the problem.