Boeing 777X Delayed To 2027

Boeing’s newest long-haul product, the 777X, is to be delayed by another year to 2027, a blow to the planemaker and its airline customers.

Bloomberg News reports that the aircraft will receive a pushback, aiming to see the jet begin flying commercially in the early stages of 2027, rather than the previously outlined 2026 target.

The reputable agency cited people familiar with the matter; however, the writing has felt like it’s been on the wall for some time, as obstacles continue to impact the planemaker’s progress in certifying the new widebody.

Now, with this latest delay, a non-cash accounting charge could range from $2.5 billion to as much as $4 billion, with the final cost yet to be determined.

With a possible commercial flight timeframe of 2027, some airlines would, after crew familiarisation periods, not expect the aircraft to formally enter service with their operations until either the end of 2027 or early 2028, spelling an almost eight-year delay for the long-haul jet.

These fresh reports follow October 2024 reporting, in which Boeing stated that it would delay the launch of the 777X until 2026, representing a pushback from previous 2025 targets. Sadly, this has been a common theme over the last five to six years.

As a result of this, airlines will need to begin planning for a fresh delay, notably Lufthansa, the launch customer, and Emirates, which has long expressed its frustrations over the issues with the long-haul aircraft.

Writing On The Wall For 777X

Unfortunately, the writing has long been on the wall for a fresh delay to the certification and thus launch of the 777X, thanks to comments from the plane maker’s Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortbeg, in September.

Ortbeg spoke at Morgan Stanley and stated that there was still a significant amount of work to be done to get the aircraft to launch, openly admitting that it was falling behind schedule in obtaining jet approval.

A minor schedule delay at this point was therefore being factored in; at that point, no confirmation had arisen, but analysts were already concerned that an approval would stretch into 2027, now something that is a reality.

Falling behind once again on the approval and therefore critical launch of the long-haul product also results in bad news for the business’s financial perfromance, just as it was turning a corner. The 777X’s birth is vital to moving ahead with the ongoing rebuild efforts.

Additionally, for airline customers awaiting the aircraft, the temperature is only continuing to rise with delays that balloon out and timelines being missed on countless occasions, leading to these airlines encountering financial and operational damages.

Emirates’ Frustrations To Continue

Even with the writing on the wall from September reporting, if you ask Emirates President Sir Tim Clark, he would argue that these delays should’ve been expected some time ago.

In June, the airline revised its forecast for delivery at the IATA General Meeting with Clark saying that while it had seen steady progress on the certification of the 777X, it was still sceptical.

At this point, it was hopeful of a first delivery between the second half of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, a nine-month window, following what he described as meaningful progress.

However, caution was still exercised, as it was not that long ago that Clark also stated he did not expect the 777X to be flying on scheduled passenger flights until the latter stages of 2027 or even into 2028 at the earliest.

For Emirates, they have long voiced their frustrations in the public domain about Boeing’s inability to get the 777X certified. This aircraft has been ordered with the knowledge that the jet will be crucial to its widebody fleet makeup moving forward.

Ultimately, Emirates is not the only airline frustrated by what has transpired with the aircraft, but it has been one of the more outspoken, and it also understands that a lot of what happens remains beyond its control.

The Dubai-based carrier would also be keen on Boeing moving ahead with a larger version of the 777X, which would come with higher levels of capacity and help not only replace the A380 but also cater to high demand in slot-constrained airports.