Cathay Pacific Upset With Boeing 777X

Cathay Pacific, a customer of the Boeing 777X, has become the latest airline to speak out about the fresh delays and their impact.

The Hong Kong-based carrier wants its aircraft delivered on time, as promised by the aircraft manufacturers upon signing the rights to take on the aircraft. However, with time, this has become less likely, and it becomes a shock if a plane is delivered on time.

As Danny Lee of Bloomberg reported, this isn’t very reassuring for an airline like Cathay Pacific. Comments from Cathay Pacific’s executives regarding disappointment follow a celebration of many aircraft orders placed in recent years.

While the 777X wasn’t included in that celebration, the airline has been committed to the long-haul jet for some time. However, this long-haul aircraft is seemingly plagued with issues, and there is no end in sight to its approval and first delivery problems.

Cathay Pacific has 21 planes on order while committing to the direct rival, the A350-1000, with this variant already prominently flying and being a customer favourite.

With that commitment to 21 units, the 777X will, therefore, play an important role in the airline’s long-term fleet, facilitating the retirement of older widebodies while also allowing growth. The longer the delays continue, the longer the company is forced to adjust planning to cope.

More Airlines Frustrated With 777X

Cathay Pacific is not the only airline currently frustrated and disappointed by what has been happening with the 777X at Boeing over the last five years.

Arguably, the most outspoken has been Dubai-based Emirates, the largest customer of Boeing’s upcoming long-haul jet.

After Boeing announced that it would push the first delivery by another year to 2026, a possible EIS wouldn’t occur until 2027 when familiarisation efforts conclude. As a result, Emirates has spoken out.

This airline has continuously expressed its frustrations and has now reached a point where it questions whether Boeing’s timeline has any meaning. Ultimately, this stance symbolises the lack of trust that airlines such as Emirates now have in planemakers following their inability to deliver aircraft on time.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa has long been frustrated with Boeing, not just over delays in acquiring the 777X but also for other aircraft programmes. Lufthansa is losing hundreds of millions, as stated, because of these delays, which lead to a less efficient operation that results in older aircraft being retained for longer periods.