Emirates Angry With Boeing

Another delay for the 777X means more frustrations from Dubai-based Emirates who eagerly await the jet.

Emirates’ President Sir Tim Clark, when speaking on the sidelines of the APG World Connect and as broken by Aviation Week, said he was feeling “a little bit miffed” after learning once more that the jet would be delayed.

However, a lot of the anger and frustration stems from the lack of transparency and from the fact that the reporting of the delays came from the media, not the planemaker directly. This follows Clark saying that, most recently, there was no hint of a delay from Boeing despite discussions.

Emirates should’ve long been flying the 777X, with the first delivery initially slated for the beginning of the decade, but that was pushed back several times. The airline then hoped to see the delivery in the second half of 2026, with, at worst, a delay to early-2027.

But with a recent delay, Emirates is concerned and seeking clarity on the possible timeframe, as a 12-month window would have significant ramifications if it falls towards the latter stages of 2027 rather than earlier ones.

Emirates had previously expressed some confidence in the program, but it also warned that the 777X might not be flying across its operations until 2028, eight years after initial launch plans.

What’s Up With The 777X?

All the frustrations from the Dubai-based carrier stem from the recent firm confirmation that Boeing would not be able to meet the 2026 first delivery of the 777X, with mounting pressure to make it happen.

The long-haul jet remains uncertified, and during its recent quarterly earnings, the business reported an additional $4.9 billion charge due to delays in the program and payments to affected businesses.

While the charge adds to the already $10 billion worth of them, the highlight was also Kelly Ortbeg confirming that the 777X’s launch would be pushed to 2027 now at the earliest, after admitting in recent months that a mountain of work still needed to be done and they had fallen behind previously established timelines for approval.

With a hopeful first delivery in 2027, some airlines will not receive the aircraft until 2028, while others will welcome it in 2027 but, due to crew familiarisation, will not have it enter passenger operations until the year after.

It’s not uncommon for new aircraft programs to experience delays in their launch windows, from the A380 to the most recent A321XLR; however, the 777X’s woes have been lengthy, and a 2028 first flight with airlines would mark a 15-year gap between the first launch and the first scheduled passenger flight.

Emirates’ Lengthy Frustrations

Emirates’ relationship with the Boeing 777X has been hit-and-miss for many years now, with cancellations, empty threats, and more from the company.

Much of the frustration has been led by Emirates President Sir Tim Clark, who has always been outspoken on matters across the industry, the 777X delays just so happening to be one of the more prominent across the last five years, impacting the airline.

With over 200 Boeing 777X jets on order, Emirates knows this model will play an integral role in its future fleet, and as a result, its demand for these planes has remained strong.

Significant delays over the last half-decade-plus have forced the airline to change its scheduling, retirements, and growth plans based on initial forecasts, hurting the airline’s bottom line and making planning more challenging.

During the height of the frustration, Emirates went so far as to threaten to cancel aircraft orders if a resolution to the ongoing delays was not found and if Boeing continued to miss targets.

However, despite the frustrations and very public threats towards the program, these comments lacked any backing or an end product, with the jet still in the airline’s operations to this day.

Much of the frustration also comes from Emirates understanding that the 777-9 is the perfect aircraft for them, and while the A350-1000 it’s Boeing’s option which has been selected, Emirates needs the plane, and Boeing needs the airline.

As a result, the relationship remains continuously strained. All that has been heightened tenfold by Boeing’s last 24 months, which have once again included repeated delays in the launch of the widebody program.