Big News For Boeing 777X

Boeing has taken yet another step in continuing to certify its upcoming long-haul jet, the 777X.

The American planemaker said it had officially begun key certification of the braking system for its upcoming 777X.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is overlooking developments with the 777X, knows the importance of this milestone as Boeing attempts to get the plane to market on a significantly delayed schedule.

The first reports of brake testing emerged in the second week of March when WH001 or N779XW arrived at Clinton Sherman Airport (CSM) in Oklahoma on March 11, 2025.

After touching down, the phase of the plane’s performance under braking commenced, with a varied set of conditions required to ensure the plane’s safety and reliability.

Suppose the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can deem the brakes reliable. In that case, it will represent another important step in the ongoing certification process of what has become one of the more scrutinised commercial airliners.

What’s Happening With The 777X In 2025?

It remains hard to believe the 777X was announced some 12 years ago and is still uncertified today, March 2025, with not a single scheduled passenger flight or delivery taking place.

Boeing’s woes have driven most of the reasoning behind the delayed certification, but this is not simply the only catalyst. Other external circumstances, such as GE9X woes and even a global pandemic, affect the progress of the 777X.

Boeing initially targeted a debut in 2020 but could not reach that; it now hopes to deliver its first jet in 2026, with this the most recent published delay.

Unfortunately, as 2025 progresses, more airline customers expecting to take on the 777X have begun casting doubts over Boeing’s ability to meet a 2026 deadline as certification progresses slowly despite still achieving progress.

Emirates, one of the largest customers of this upcoming widebody, believes they won’t receive their first unit until early to mid-2027, and this has been deemed a best-case scenario.

Emirates is also preparing for the first delivery to be pushed back to 2028, in what would be considered a worst-case scenario for the Dubai-based carrier, which expects the 777X to play a crucial role in its business for many decades to come.