Lufthansa Says First Boeing 777-9 Delayed

Lufthansa’s debut with the Boeing 777-9 looks set to be further delayed, with delivery slipping from the first to the second quarter of 2027.

The airline’s confirmation of 777-9 delays has prompted a move to establish a northern summer schedule that relies more heavily on the Airbus A340-300 and existing airframes.

Chief executive Carsten Sphor said Boeing revised the delivery timeframe, forcing contingency plans and a broader shift across Lufthansa Group in future aircraft deployment.

A second-hand quarter handover, while still at risk of not happening, still aligns with what Lufthansa has been expecting but puts additional pressure on meeting summer 2027 planning.

Lufthansa Summer 2027 plans in doubt?

With delays in the delivery of the first 777-9, Spohr confirmed the news during a recent quarterly earnings call on 3 November 2026, after Boeing informed the business.

However, this wasn’t new; Boeing had already told the airline this was possible in a previous quarterly update, as uncertainties in its regulatory process and approval timelines continued to affect launch efforts.

Spohr said Lufthansa is now looking at Q2 for the 777-9 debut, which means a Plan B has been activated; under Plan B, the most damning revelation is the expectation that the Boeing jet won’t feature in the summer schedule.

Lufthansa expects low single-digit 777-9 deliveries in 2027 at best; however, with the type still not certified, even that cannot be guaranteed, as previous forecasts have not been met on several occasions.

With single-digit deliveries of the 777-9, Lufthansa may rely more heavily on other widebody jets such as the Airbus A340-300, which otherwise would’ve been removed from the fleet. Still, it must remain, even with higher jet fuel prices, to cover for the absence of the new flagship product.

Removing plans for the 777X during the Northern Summer season gives Lufthansa more flexibility in the eventual deployment, and, given the jet is still uncertified, it also means its network won’t be positioned to rely on it.

Work on the 777-9 continues but not fast enough

Revisions to the 777-9 first delivery for Lufthansa come as pressure builds on the aircraft and the remaining certification work; the latest focus is on the GE Aerospace GE9X engine, redesigned mid-seal, which is coupled with additional regulator requirements that remain outstanding.

According to reports on the certification programme, the US Federal Aviation Administration has made it clear that it does not intend to certify the aircraft until the redesigned seal is approved, so the issue centres not on the aircraft but on the requested engine modifications.

The engine work goes beyond needing approval for the final paperwork to be ticked off, because it means the extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards, or ETOPS, testing cannot begin.

The additional work that was delayed is what Ortberg, Boeing’s chief executive, said in September was taking longer and delaying authorisation for the remaining flight testing to begin. He suggested it could be pushed into 2027 but still held firm on the expected certification and first delivery window.