Boeing still faces a “mountain” of uncompleted 777-9 certification work and is “falling behind” in bringing the jet through Federal Aviation Administration approval, according to chief executive Kelly Ortberg.
Still, Boeing says it expects the widebody aircraft will be in service in 2026.
“The mountain of work is still there,” Ortberg said on 11 September of the 777-9’s certification, speaking during a Morgan Stanley investor conference. “We need to be burning down the certification [tasks]… We are falling behind on the certification.”
The programme is already significantly delayed, with Boeing working through technical hurdles amid heightened FAA scrutiny. Boeing also grounded the test fleet between August 2024 and January after discovering fractured thrust links – components that secure the GE Aerospace GE9X turbofans to the aircraft’s structure.
In August, Boeing said it had completed first flight of a fifth 777-9 and that five jets were involved in the flight-test programme. At the time, Boeing said it had completed 1,500 777-9 flights and logged 4,100h of flight time.
“We’re flying a lot of sorties and there are no new technical issues on the airplane or the engine,” Ortberg added on 11 September. “Both the airplane and the engine are really performing quite well… Demand for the aircraft is fantastic.”
He stressed the slow pace of FAA approval, saying, “We’re clearly behind our plan in getting the certification done”.
Ortberg notes Boeing still lacks FAA approval for “a good portion of the certification programme”, saying the agency has been granting “incremental” approvals under the 777-9’s Type Inspection Authorisation” (TIA). That authorisation confirms an aircraft is expected to meet certification standards and approves flight tests for certification credit.
Ortberg recently asked Boeing chief financial officer Jay Malave to examine how the 777-9 “schedule slip” impacts Boeing’s broader plan, Ortberg says.
Boeing declines to provide additional comment.
The company recently received approval for the 777-9 TIA’s “Phase 2D”, which involves community noise testing, according to reports.
Boeing holds unfilled orders for 565 777X, including 463 777-9s, 59 777-8 Freighters and 43 777-8 passenger aircraft.
