Despite multiple delays, the 777X program is on track to obtain FAA type certification within a year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said.
Speaking at a Barclays event, the chief executive said that “we’re planning to get the certification done towards the end of this year or early next year so we can start the delivery.”
The launch customer for the 777-9, the first and largest variant of the 777X family, will be Lufthansa, which has ordered 20 aircraft.
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According to Ortberg, the German airline’s CEO, Carsten Spohr, told him how critical the widebody is to the company.
With a capacity for 426 passengers in two classes, the 777-9 is expected to take over flights currently operated by the 747-8 and the A380, which are much less efficient.
Boeing reports having 383 net orders for the 777X, 383 for the 777-9 variant, 78 for the 777-8 and 55 for the 777-8F freighter.
The certification program suffered a setback last August when fractures in the thrust mounts of the engines were found. The company had to redesign the parts and replace them on the aircraft already completed, including four 777-9s in tests.
Certification flights resumed in January and one of the prototypes flew a few days ago to Curaçao, in the Caribbean, for testing in a hot and humid environment.
