Boeing 777X

Cathay Pacific plans to order nearly 50 more aircraft, aiming for a 300-strong fleet by 2033, driven by Hong Kong Airport’s three-runway expansion.

Lufthansa has joined Emirates with plans to reject early-built Boeing 777Xs, the company’s CEO Carsten Spohr confirmed.

Boeing begins ETOPS testing for the 777-9, a key step toward certification, with initial deliveries expected after FAA approval in early 2027.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

As Boeing prepares for change incorporation on the early-build 777-9 fleet, Emirates says it will refuse to accept the airline’s first 10 airframes.

Emirates has 270 777-9s on order, with the first scheduled to enter service in Q2 2027.

Emirates is rejecting delivery of the first 10 Boeing 777-9s produced for the airline given the extensive rework the aircraft would need to bring them up to current standards.

BCA president and CEO Stephanie Pope took up the role in March 2024 (she is also Boeing Company EVP).

Boeing drives improvements in supply chain engagement and company culture.

Boeing plans to streamline certification timelines for its next aircraft, building on lessons from the 777-9 program and enhanced FAA collaboration.

Boeing nears 777-9 certification with over 50% of flight tests complete, focusing on ETOPS, pilot training and finalizing production aircraft.

Widebody sales have been rebounding since the pandemic.

Lufthansa is preparing to launch a large competition for more widebody aircraft, according to CEO Carsten Spohr.

China Southern Airlines has ordered seven Boeing freighters, comprising two 777Fs and five 777-8Fs, becoming the first Chinese carrier to commit to Boeing's latest freighter variant.

In an in-depth interview, a confident Kelly Ortberg sees the company’s financial and cultural turnaround gaining steam.

It is hard to overstate the importance of ETOPS (extended range twin engine operations); this game-changing regulation accounts for thousands of long-haul flights around the world every day.

Amid a wave of final certification work on two programs, the timing of ETOPS testing is still unknown but will not affect 777-9 deliveries.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The Boeing 777-9, the first variant in the 777X program, has achieved TIA Phase 4B approval, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope says.

Bank of America analyst Ron Epstein joins Aviation Week editors to discuss the 777X program’s long-term outlook, and how Airbus will respond.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford believes the Boeing 737 MAX will be certified by year’s end and suggested the 777X will follow, in 2027.

Singapore Airlines does not expect to take delivery of its first Boeing 777-9 during the current fiscal year.

Boeing flew the first 777-9 destined for Lufthansa on an initial test flight from its Everett, Washington, production site on May 7.

Boeing has released the first official image of the structurally complete 777-8F since the aircraft briefly appeared outside the Everett production facility.

Boeing’s exhaustive 777-9 certification program is entering its final key stages ahead of planned service entry in 2027.