Lufthansa acknowledged on Thursday that its first widebody Boeing 777-9 is only expected to be delivered in 2026, in the most optimistic scenario.
The statement came from CEO Jens Ritter during an interview, as revealed by Aviation Week.
“We no longer believe that we will get the first aircraft in 2025,” said Ritters. “We think it will be here for the summer timetable 2026 at the earliest.”
The 777X is the largest twin-engine widebody in history, with the capacity to carry more than 400 passengers in mixed class. But Boeing’s program is massively behind schedule.
Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Lufthansa has 27 firm orders and expected to have the first aircraft in 2020, but successive development problems delayed the schedule.
Boeing maintains expectation of entry into service in 2025
Officially, Boeing says it expects to receive type certification in 2025, with deliveries to Lufthansa and Emirates Airlines to follow, around summer.
However, new quality problems on the US planemaker’s assembly line have put more pressure on the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), which has been more careful in evaluating the safety of Boeing aircraft.
The flight test campaign for certification should have started in March or April, but so far it has not occurred.
Boeing applied to start the process, which is the final stretch for certification, in 2021, but the FAA argued that it lacked technical data.
Also according to Aviation Week, Lufthansa was sending a team to Boeing’s facilities next week to discuss the situation.
The 2026 forecast is similar to that made by Emirates Airlines president Tim Clark in March. The Dubai-based carrier is the 777X’s largest customer, with 205 firm orders for the 777-9 and 777-8 variants.
