Boeing Says Certification Work Means No Airliners For Singapore Airshow

PAINE FIELD, Washington—Ahead of this year’s Singapore Airshow, Boeing executives have shared more details around their decision not to display commercial airliners at the biennial.

Speaking to Aviation Week, John Dyson, Boeing's head of product marketing for the 777X, said there was not a 777-9 demonstrator available for Singapore.

“We are very busy with certification activities and the aircraft are being dedicated there right now,” Dyson said during a tour of Paine Field on Jan. 30.

“If we had extra spare capacity, we [would] send an airframe [to Singapore], as we did to Dubai and Farnborough,” he said. “Unfortunately, we are in the phase where we just need to get certification done.”

There are currently four 777-9 flying which are contributing to the certification process. A fifth will join in due course. All are operating from nearby Boeing Field.

Entry into service for the 777-9 remains scheduled for 2027.

Asked why no 737 MAX has been sent to Singapore, Dyson said that again is related to the certification process of the 737-7 and 737-10.

Regarding those programs, FAA certification should be completed by the end of this year, according to Joel Purificacion, 737 customer leader at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“We are also in a restructuring process and we need to recover. This is not the time to send an aircraft as a display. Even though there are so many important customers in Asia,” another Boeing sales person told Aviation Week. “Boeing’s focus is on itself now, its employees, et cetera,” the person said, but added that airshow attendance will remain important to connect with its customers.

During the visit to Paine Field on Jan. 30, Aviation Week spotted around 10 to 15 777-9s in storage across the area. In the final assembly line, there was also a 777-9 in production, sporting a Qatar Airways logo.