It looks like Boeing’s new flagship aircraft, the 777X, is anticipated to be delayed even further, and deliveries aren’t expected to start until 2025. This represents a five year delay, as the plane was initially supposed to enter service in 2020, then 2021, then 2022, then 2023, and now 2025.
What is the Boeing 777X?
For those of you not familiar, the Boeing 777X is Boeing’s newest version of the 777. It will come in two variants — the 777-8 and 777-9 — and the planes are both longer range and larger than existing 777s (and larger than 787s, which are also popular).
With there clearly not being a market anymore for planes like the A380 and 747-8 (even pre-pandemic), this will likely be the biggest new aircraft we see manufactured in the next decade.
The Boeing 777X has already been delayed
Entry into service for the Boeing 777X has already been delayed significantly. The plane has been delayed for a variety of reasons, ranging from production issues, to engine issues, to certification issues, to the pandemic.
For context, the Boeing 777X was supposed to complete its first test flight in mid-2019, but that ended up being pushed back to early 2020. This delay was due to issues with the GE9X General Electric engines on the plane. These are the largest engines ever on a commercial plane, though they were having durability problems, causing a delay in certification.
That wasn’t the only issue, though — during the 777X certification process, a door also blew off during a stress test. But that was only the start of the issues. With all the drama surrounding the 737 MAX, Boeing is now facing a much more stringent certification process for the 777X.
It goes without saying that lots of airline customers aren’t at all pleased with these delays, as they’ve been relying on Boeing’s timeline for their fleet planning. Delaying deliveries by five years (and counting) isn’t exactly ideal.
Boeing pushes back 777X deliveries to 2025
As reported by Reuters, Boeing is now targeting late 2024 for certification of the Boeing 777X, with deliveries expected to start in early 2025. At this point that’s the best case scenario, it sounds like, so who knows how much worse it will get. This latest update represents a roughly one year delay over the timeline we had last year.
The latest delay seems to come down to coming up with a more realistic timeline for getting the Boeing 777X certified. Prior to this latest update, Boeing hoped to get the 777X certified by the end of 2023. In a March 2022 letter, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that Boeing’s timelines were “outdated and no longer reflect the program activities.”
It’s pretty amazing what a mess Boeing is in. First there were the 737 MAX issues, then Boeing hasn’t been able to deliver 787s for the past several months, and now the 777X is delayed by at least five years or so.
Why the 777X delay matters for passengers
It’s not just airlines that should care about Boeing 777X delivery delays, but passengers should as well. Many airlines were going to use the 777X as their new flagship aircraft, and were going to introduce all new cabins on these planes. For example:
Bottom line
Boeing doesn’t expect to deliver its first 777X until early 2025 at the earliest, representing a roughly five year delay over the initial delivery timeline. Boeing has faced a variety of issues, from engine and testing problems, to generally more stringent certification guidelines from the FAA.
This is disappointing not just for airlines, but also for passengers, given the new onboard products several airlines plan to introduce on these jets.
Are you surprised to see Boeing push back 777X deliveries to early 2025?