Boeing 777X Delayed Until 2026

Boeing has made the harsh announcement to delay its upcoming long-haul jet, the 777X, until 2026.

A delayed delivery until 2026 equates to another year of pushback and is a new reality for the planemaker, who is facing colossal pressures following continued strike action.

Away from the 777X delay, Boeing will cut some 17,000 jobs and record a AUD 7 billion loss in the third quarter.

Boeing is a manufacturer, and now, it is essentially just a broader company spiralling out of control in more wrong ways than one, and the knock-on effect is genuinely felt.

The Airline Impact

Many airlines around the world that were expecting the 777X had already unveiled plans to take the first delivery of the jet, possibly in 2025, but entry into service wouldn’t occur until 2026 at the earliest.

For example, this forecasting was led by German flag carrier Lufthansa, which expected the 777X to be in service for the summer 2026 schedule. Emirates also expected a 2026 EIS.

However, now airlines must rethink just what this next year-long delay to first delivery looks like, given the realization that the 777X may not enter service once crew familiarisation occurs until 2027, permitting no further pushback.

If the first entry into service were to then occur in 2027, this would represent a catastrophic seven-year delay for the widebody aircraft type. While delays are entirely expected for aircraft such as the A380 and even the A321XLR, seven years is excessive, especially considering the reasoning behind it.

Generally, a delay in the 777X comes as Boeing attempts to realign its finances, faces a pause in the overall flight test program and a stoppage in work across key programmes.

Unfortunately, given that 2026 is still some time away and the 777X remains uncertified, there would equally be parties that wouldn’t be able to trust Boeing on their word here either.

Strike Action Is Killing Boeing

For now, almost a month, strike action has rampaged on, impacting not just employees who are seeking far greater terms for their employment but also for Boeing as a company.

The planemaker’s inability to secure new contracts with unions representing some 33,000 employees has caused walkouts across its divisions and reduced its output even further.

Many argued that the output couldn’t drop even further than it had as the FAA has increased oversight into the planemaker since the beginning of 2024 and barred production increases. However, the strike action has made things worse.