Boeing 777X

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

As air traffic continues to grow faster in the Middle East than the global average, Boeing forecasts that the region will require 1,370 new widebodies over the next 20 years.

Listen in as editors discuss Boeing and Airbus both now looking at the feasibility of upsizing their largest twin-aisles at the behest of Emirates, which led the way for orders at Dubai Airshow.

Boeing says a technical feasibility study of a stretched 777-10 derivative of the 777X family will be driven largely by takeoff performance requirements.

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark believes a stretched version of the 777-10 would only be available well into the 2030s, while he thinks it will be harder for Airbus to do larger variant of the A350 but would like that too.

Cathay Pacific is planning to scale back the rate of increase of its network growth in 2026 as it looks to consolidate its recent gains, an exec says.

Emirates is hoping to convince Boeing to launch and develop an even larger version of the Boeing 777X after signing up for an additional 65 of the type at Dubai Airshow.

Boeing's Stephanie Pope says the 777-9 is advancing to the next stage of flight testing over the next few days with the start of FAA TIA Phase 3.

Ahead of entry-into-service of the Boeing 777X in the Middle East, GE Aerospace is studying a potential deployment of its 747-400 flying testbed to the Gulf equipped with a GE9X engine.

Singapore Airlines will roll out LEO satellite connectivity to enhance inflight Wi-Fi as part of a long-haul cabin product revamp set for the 2026 first half.

Why Airbus and Boeing are dragging their feet on the next twin-aisle.

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark is cautious about over-leveraging the airline’s balance sheet.

Big widebody twins form the backbone of today’s high-capacity air transport system and are set to grow even larger.

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

As Boeing slows down 777X flight testing, GE is accelerating GE9X dust ingestion durability testing.

Emirates President Tim Clark has described himself as being “a little bit miffed” after learning about Boeing’s latest timeline for the 777X program from the media rather than the manufacturer directly.

Boeing confirms it will need all of 2026 to complete the 777-9’s FAA type certification program, pushing projected first deliveries of the widebody into 2027.

From the factory floor perspective, things are looking up for Boeing.

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark is “pushing hard” for Airbus and Boeing to develop further stretches of the 777X and the A350.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company is falling behind on 777-9 certification, but not because of technical issues.

Europe’s largest airline group is a prime example of how an aging, complex fleet can drag a company down. Its recovery will take years.

After Boeing's CEO warned that certification of the 777-9 will take longer still, editors break down the certification process and explain why its taking so long.

Boeing executives don’t talk publicly about the FAA very often, and when they do, the message is almost always some combination of praise and deference.

Boeing continues to make headway with portions of the program already approved by the FAA under the latest Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) phase 2D tests.

Boeing’s 777-9 certification program is falling behind, CEO Kelly Ortberg said.