FILE PHOTO: Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary holds a news conference in Machelen near Brussels, Belgium October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanair remains confident in the Boeing 737 MAX and believes the plane will be “warmly welcomed” by customers, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on Tuesday after he was forced to half the airline’s 2020 growth plans due to the plane’s grounding.

“While it is disappointing that we have delays, while it is disappointing that the growth for next year will be slightly slower than we had originally planned, we remain confident in the aircraft. We still think it is a great product,” O’Leary told a conference call with investors.

“As soon as we can reasonably organize these deliveries with Boeing we would intend to take all of the 135 firm aircraft we have ordered over the next five years,” he said.