AIRCRAFT: Is the new BOEING 777X less than a year away from launch?
With the Boeing 747 almost entirely retired from passenger service and most airlines planning on retiring their Airbus A380s sometime in the 2030s, the industry is crying out for a new high-volume, long-distance aircraft. The Boeing 777X is one solution.
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Boeing’s troubles and delays
The Boeing 777X project was reduced to two models, the -8 and the -9, which were considered the saviours, with their two-engine efficiency and higher-pressure cabins.
The problem is that the 777X project has been delayed and delayed. Boeing management and engineering have seemingly been sidelined by the scandals of the 737 MAX and manufacturing errors in the 787 Dreamliner.
737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner
Remember that the Boeing 737 MAX suffered two catastrophic accidents in 2019. A Lion Air Flight 610 from Jakarta and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 killed a total of 346 passengers and crew.
Boeing spent much time before Congress, in front of various enquiries, and reporting to the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) on why and how a piece of faulty software used to correct a physical engineering design fault caused the crashes.
Whistleblowers have reported manufacturing and assembly faults in the 787 Dreamliner’s production, from spare bolts left rattling around to engineering issues that are claimed to endanger aircraft safety.
And then, of course,’ that‘ Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 door plug blowout incident, fortunately, when the aircraft was close to the runway.
All of that seems to have prevented the smooth progress of the 777X’s development, causing multiple delays.
History
The 777X story starts in 2011, when Boeing needed to develop an option to match its competitor, Airbus’s A350 aircraft model. The 777X was initially slated for a 2020 debut, but that delivery date has steadily slipped away. Rather than a promise, the estimate is that the plane will come into service in 2025.
Breath-holding is ill-advised, as current testing of the four existing aircraft has already been suspended after damage was found to one of the jetliner structures. The custom part is a structure that connects the engine to the aircraft and the fault was discovered during a routine maintenance inspection.
Why the 777X is important
With the departure of the 747 Jumbo from most passenger transport and the scheduled retirement of the A380s in the 2030s, there is a need for a long-haul, wide-bodied, two-engined aircraft. And the 777X project fits that bill. Some would argue that it is better than the competing Airbus A350
When it does launch, it will be the biggest and newest twin-engined aircraft in the sky.
The 777-9, the first of two models out of the hanger, could be the natural successor to the Jumbo and the A380. It won’t have the stairs to the next level that the A380 and 747 Jumbo had. They require four engines, which are just too expensive to run and make flights economical. They consume too much fuel per passenger to make them ecologically or economically viable—mores the pity.
However, the 777-9 does have some other desirable features.
Huge wings
It has HUGE wings—really long—72 metres (235 feet). They are so big that they have to be folded up when taxiing to and parking at an airport gate. They are the longest on any commercial aeroplane.
Why? Because they make the aircraft more efficient in the air, and help cope with turbulence, which is increasing in regularity and severity. Did someone say ‘climate change’?
Long fuselage
And it’s not just the wings that are big. The metal cigar case, or fuselage, is also the longest in commercial aviation, at 76 metres (250 feet).
Depending on the cabin configuration, it’s big enough to house 426 passengers. It has a 13,500-kilometre range, which makes it not quite possible to fly from Sydney to JFK—that’s over 16,000 kilometres—but it will get you from Sydney to Doha, for example.
The smaller version of the aircraft, the 777-8, will have a lower capacity of 395 passengers. Both jets are wide, and airlines will probably squeeze in ten seats across in Economy Class, configured 3-4-3, which will make it on the sardine side of comfortable. Boeing denies that, asserting that the wider cabin will make ten across in Economy Class comfortable.
Bigger windows, higher cabin pressure and better air filters
Part of the roomier feel will be the deception caused by larger windows. The aircraft will have better air filtration with more humidity and a higher cabin pressure than most competing aircraft models. Pressure will be 1600 metres (6000 feet). Overall, that cabin atmosphere will help prevent swollen legs and ankles, dry throats, and nasal passages and make for a more comfortable flight.
Flyers are probably used to this on contemporary aircraft already, but LED lighting will enable cabin staff to provide you with everything from a starry night through dawn and morning light. Midday sun is not something they advertise.
New Aircraft mean new cabin products
Airlines use new aircraft models to launch new cabin products. Think of showers in first for Emirates in the A380s, or ‘The Residence’ by Etihad.
It’s said that Emirates developed new cabin products for the 777X project way back when it was expected to launch in 2020. It’s had to junk all that because those products would now be outdated with the over 5-year delay on the launch.
Who is ordering the Boeing 777X aircraft?
The order book is pretty full, with a current total (as of September 2024) of 503 aircraft of either the -8 or -9 model.
Two Middle Eastern airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways, account for well over half of the total orders. If you add in Etihad, then that accounts for two-thirds of the total orders.
| Boeing 777X Orders (at September 2024) | ||
| Airline | Orders | Variants |
| Emirates | 205 | B777-9; B777-8 |
| Qatar Airways | 94 | B777-9; B777-8F |
| Singapore Airlines | 31 | B777-9 |
| Lufthansa | 27 | B777-9; B777-8F |
| Etihad Airways | 25 | B777-9; B777-8 |
| Cathay Pacific Airways | 21 | B777-9 |
| All Nippon Airways | 20 | B777-9 |
| Korean Air | 20 | B777-9 |
| British Airways | 18 | B777-9 |
| Air India | 10 | B777-9 |
| Cargolux | 10 | B777-8F |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 8 | B777-9 |
| Silk Way West Airlines | 2 | B777-8F |
| Unidentified Customers | 12 | B777-9 |
Airlines are crying out for these aircraft. With demand at all time highs, the sooner these aircraft get delivered, the better.
2PAXfly Takeout
Boeing’s once unrivalled engineering prowess, ‘If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going,’ has been sadly damaged. A string of engineering and safety issues has led to congressional hearings. Did I mention, hundreds of deaths, and millions in fines and compensation. Reputational damage has been enormous.
Honouring its latest promise to deliver the 777X project to customers in 2025 is imperative. Imperitive if it is to regain any of its former reputation.
There are literally billions of dollars riding on that 2025 delivery date. Also the reputations and economics of some of the world’s biggest commercial airlines are on the line.
I really hope that Boing makes it. But, you would have to be comfortable with a high level of risk to take a bet on that.
What did you say?