Emirates’ First Boeing 777X Due June 2027

Emirates is now speaking more positively about the Boeing 777X, its upcoming next-generation flagship product, as the airline expects the jet within 12 months.

Speaking exclusively to Reuters on the sidelines of the Berlin Airshow, Tim Clark, the President of Emirates, said that by June 2027, the airline will have taken delivery of the aircraft, with a chance it could happen as early as May.

While this represents a final positive step for the long-delayed jet, caution is still warranted, as there’s every chance something could go wrong between now and then.

A Firm Date Now Looms For Emirates

For a prolonged period, Clark has been overwhelmingly negative about the status of the 777X, a plane first intended to enter service in 2020; however, it has now, six years later, still not received the formal green light from the Federal Aviation Adminsitration (FAA).

While his frustrations were, more often than not, valid, his typically outgoing nature meant that, despite being the largest customer for the jet, whenever the widebody was brought up, it was met with disgust over timelines, quality issues, and Boeing’s inability to stick to its word.

Now, for the first time since the program launched in 2013, Clark can sit with a more positive view that the jet will arrive sooner rather than later, and within the next year, something that has not once been able to be said.

The delivery pending to Emirates is reliant on Boeing completing the remaining pillars of certification, which are winding down as the manufacturer continues to work through its TIA Phases and was just granted permission for Phase 4B, then onwards to the final and smaller Phase 5.

For Emirates, the ultimately delay of seven years beyond what was promised is significant, even if during some of those years a global pandemic halted progress, which has been woeful for the program’s reputation and has put stress on the Dubai-based airline to find ways to mitigate the impact.

Now Clark holds a more positive tone that progress is being made and the aircraft is in good shape, a shape that would enable deliveries to commence in 2027 as part of the plan and therefore be in the airline’s hands by the mid-way point of the year at the latest.

However, anything popping from the last steps could still affect the final delivery of the aircraft. While much of the work to get the new widebody approved has been completed, that doesn’t mean the FAA isn’t keeping a razor-sharp focus on the jet. There is a chance that something could go wrong and the final EIS could slip into late-2027 again.

What Has To Happen Before Delivery

In the next 12 months, Boeing will be working overtime to get the aircraft certified and prepped for delivery to customers eagerly awaiting the jet, just like Emirates. But before then, there are several steps to check off.

While certification marks the final step in the lengthy process, this is the green light from the Federal Aviation Adminsitration after the completion of all the phases in the FAA Type Inspection Authorization campaign, work still must be done.

ETOPS and reliability testing are important parts of the planemaker’s short- to medium-term focus, alongside testing reliability on both functional and real-world levels. These tests enable the planemaker to assess the jet’s performance in real-world scenarios.

Additionally, the jet under the current TIA is going through rigorous testing on the systems; these are among the last heavy pushes to show the FAA and itself that the plane it’s going to hand over to airlines is safe and sound and ready to operate lengthy long-haul missions with hundreds of passengers at a time.

Once all that can be concluded, Boeing has to work closely with its airline customers, Emirates being one, to finish the overall installation and prepping of the aircraft, specifically the one it will take delivery of. That includes the all-important paint job, cabin installation, and more.

While delivery is one step, the airline will also have to conduct a lengthy crew training period before the jet can formally enter service on its intended routes. This type of crew training is common practise, and Qantas will do the same to Auckland next year with its Airbus A350-1000ULRs for Project Sunrise.

Clark believes that if Boeing continues to progress with ETOPS and reliability work, there is a very real chance that by the third or fourth quarter of 2027, the jet will be able to enter scheduled passenger service.

Emirates’ Huge Order and Patience

Every airline buys aircraft for its own reasons, and when those planes are delayed, the impact is significant. For some, it’s worse than for others, as they may have been relying on this new model to fuel future growth or to replace older types.

The longstanding delays to the Boeing 777X have required a great deal of patience from Emirates, something it has not always been able to show publicly.

An original order for 150 aircraft has been significantly scaled up, bringing the backlog close to 300 aircraft. However, over that time, the deal’s turbulent nature has repeatedly been a cause for concern, with President Clark threatening to cancel the jet unless it received assurances that quality and delivery windows would be met.

Being the largest customer of the 777X puts weight not just on Boeing but also on Emirates, which is committing heavily to the jet. If delays persist, this puts their planning out the window, as it has done. Those frustrations, while public, more often than not led to top-up orders and thus could be perceived as a strategy to obtain better terms on future deals.

That said, Clark has spent much of the decade publicly voicing his disgust over the missed milestones, shifting windows and more, his warnings very real. Ultimately, the business realises that no alternative exists and that the delays are simply beyond its control; therefore, it has to be patient.