Emirates president Tim Clark is “cautiously optimistic” around bringing the Boeing 777X into service after years of delays, amid “a high degree of determination” at the airframer.
Speaking during the IATA AGM in Delhi on 1 June, Clark says there is a “glimmer of light” that the GE Aerospace GE9X-powered widebody jet will enter service at some point in the second half of 2026 through to the first quarter of 2027.
Emirates originally expected to have 70-80 of the re-engined widebody in service today, but is still waiting for its first example after years of delays caused by a variety of challenges at Boeing and with the aircraft itself, including most recently a thrust-link issue that grounded the test fleet.
All four 777X test aircraft have since resumed flying.
The first example is still contractually due to be delivered to Emirates in October this year, but Clark says there is no chance of that.
Much hinges on the 737 Max 7 and Max 10 achieving certification by the end of this year – as Boeing has suggested is possible – which would clear the way for the 777X to do the same next year, Clark explains.
His comments follow recent meetings with Boeing senior management, and reflect his belief that the airframer is not just “talking the talk – they are walking the walk”.
He is particularly positive about the impact of Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg.
“I can see a high degree of determination for getting the job done to make sure all the things that have been called out by Emirates and others have been addressed,” he states.
Notably, Clark says reports are emerging of genuine progress on the 777X.
“Now we’re talking about improvement in the performance of aircraft,” he says.
“I’m hearing good stories about the wing, I’m hearing good stories about propulsion, I’m getting good stories about take-off weights.
“Seeing is believing, but we are watching very closely.”
Indeed, the Emirates president will be heading to Boeing in the coming months to see the programme first hand, and his hope is that the experience is better this time around.
“I was there in [2023-24] and I ran out screaming. I thought, this is going nowhere,” Clark recalls.
Even once certification is received, the ramping up of 777X production will be a particular test for Boeing, he suggests, given there are hundreds of the type on order already.
“I don’t know of any widebody order in history that has that backlog,” he says.
He urges Boeing to return to its 1990s-era performance in widebody production, which Clark describes as “poetry in motion”.
