Boeing Insists 777X Widebody Is Worth the Wait

Twelve years since Boeing launched the 777X program at the 2013 Dubai Airshow, the OEM is back on-site with both its 777-9 test aircraft and a renewed confidence that delays to the protracted certification schedule are finally over.

With Boeing continuing to steadily work through FAA type inspection authorization (TIA) test phases, head of airline marketing for the 777X Justin Hale has a “high confidence” the airplane will enter service by 2027, with certification forthcoming as soon as 2026, he told reporters during a briefing on the eve of the Dubai Airshow on Sunday.

Notably, the program’s five test aircraft have all been rectified with what Hale terms a “minor design change to the [engine-mounted] thrust links,” following cracks identified in August 2024 that necessitated rework. “It’s really behind us, so there’s no additional testing or considerations related to thrust links,” he confirmed.

Admittedly, Hale attributes some delays to issues “out of [Boeing’s] hands,” including the time taken for the airframer to perform its due diligence in meeting stringent regulatory conditions. However, following receipt of new FAA permissions earlier this month, the test fleet is shortly about to enter the third of five major phases of the certification process. With the requisite test aircraft reconfiguration complete, Boeing expects to be flying up to six days a week to progress through what CEO Kelly Ortberg described as a “mountain of work.”

The launch of the 777X program represents the regeneration of a family of Triple Seven airliners that the U.S. aerospace giant first started delivering in 1995. More than 1,300 examples of the twinjet family are now in service worldwide, and Boeing’s aim for the X upgrade is to deliver 10% reductions in fuel burn and operating costs compared with its main rival, the Airbus A350.

The 777X family has three members: the 777-8, typically carrying 395 passengers in a two-class configuration (or up to 465 economy seats) with a range of 8,745 nm; the 777-9 (436 passengers/7,285 nm); and the 777-8F freighter (112-tonne payload/4,410 nm). It was the 777-9 version that also appeared at the last Dubai show in 2023.

Boeing’s engineers have been tasked with improving the passenger experience, drawing on innovations introduced with the 787 Dreamliner. The 777X passenger cabins will be 16 inches wider than comparable widebodies, with layouts that can be customized for each airline.

Emirates is the largest customer, with 170 examples of the 777-9 on order. A total of 565 firm orders have been placed to date across 14 airlines, with customers including Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, All Nippon Airways, and British Airways.

Multiple Delay Drivers

Almost six years have passed since the 2020 target that Boeing originally set for itself to get the first 777X model in service. Multiple factors have contributed to program delays, including the Covid-19 pandemic and a pair of fatal accidents involving 737 Max narrowbodies in 2018 and 2019. Flight testing revealed problems with the 115,000-pound-thrust General Electric GE9X turbofans, prompting the engine maker to embark on a nine-month redesign process.

Further flight testing revealed some uncommanded nose-down anomalies, requiring software redesign. Cracks had developed in the engine-mounted thrust links, necessitating further rework.

Boeing is now confident that the GE9X engine will fulfill its potential by leveraging technology already proven with the CFM Leap engines developed by GE and its partner Safran for the 737 and A320 single-aisle airliner families. The new turbofan uses clean-burning combustion technology and ceramic matrix composites.

“It allows us to build a much higher internal pressure ratio and a higher bypass ratio,” Hale explained at the Paris Air Show. “The engine is 10% more efficient than the GE90 that’s on the 777-300ER. It’s 6% more efficient than the [Rolls-Royce] Trent XMV-97 that’s on the A350-1000.”

The 777-9 will be the first of the X models to enter service, with the 777-8F following in 2028 and then the 777-8 passenger model in 2030. As of the Paris Air Show in June, the 777-9 backlog stood at 449 units, with 59 orders for the 777-8F and 43 for the ultra-long-range 777-8, which could be deployed on routes such as Dubai to Los Angeles.

This report includes information first reported by Leeham News and Analysis, which is now part of the AIN Media Group.