Boeing 777X: Five Years Later, Still No Commercial Flights
The Boeing 777X project remains a critical program for the manufacturer, as it seeks to maintain its competitive edge in the long-haul aircraft segment against Airbus. With major orders from leading airlines such as Lufthansa, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, the success of the 777X will be closely watched by the aviation industry in the coming years
On January 20, 2020, the Boeing 777X, the largest twin-engine aircraft ever built, took to the skies for the first time. However, five years later, it still hasn’t operated a single commercial passenger flight.
A successor to Boeing’s famous 777 family, the new aircraft measures 76 meters in length, 19 meters in height, and has a wingspan of 71 meters when fully extended. It is capable of carrying up to 426 passengers, making it the largest aircraft currently in production by the American manufacturer, according to our associated media outlet Aeroin.
Despite its impressive size and cutting-edge design, the aircraft has yet to perform a commercial flight, and no firm date for its entry into service has been established. Certification delays caused by challenges with its General Electric GE9X engines have significantly hindered progress.
The situation was further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which began just three months after the 777X’s maiden flight, severely impacting global commercial aviation, particularly long-haul international routes—the very market the 777X aims to dominate, competing directly with the Airbus A350XWB.
Currently, there are 515 orders for the model, including the smaller 777-8X, the freighter 777-8F, and the flagship 777-9X. Certification is expected between late this year and early 2026, with the first delivery to Qatar Airways anticipated in the first half of next year.
However, as Boeing’s initial timeline targeted 2021 or 2022 for the aircraft's entry into commercial service, uncertainties persist about when the 777X will make its long-awaited debut at airports worldwide.
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