Boeing extends delay on deliveries of first 777X aircraft to 2027

US plane maker takes $4.9bn charge on prolonged certification of wide-body jets

A Boeing 777-9, a variant of the 777X, at the International Paris Airshow in June 2024. The company says it is disappointed in another delivery delay. Reuters

Boeing has again postponed the first delivery of its long-delayed 777X aircraft to 2027 after updating its certification timing, resulting in a charge to pre-tax earnings of $4.9 billion on the programme.

The latest guidance for the 777-9 debut pushes the timeline further from from the slated delivery in 2026. It now means the programme is now seven years behind the original scheduled delivery in 2020 that was set when it was launched in 2013.

"While we are disappointed in the 777X schedule delay, the aeroplane continues to perform well in flight testing, and we remain focused on the work ahead to complete our development programmes and stabilise our operations to fully recover our company's performance and restore trust with all of our stakeholders,” Kelly Ortberg, Boeing president and chief executive, said on Wednesday.

Emirates celebrates its 40th anniversary

02:15

Dubai's Emirates Airline is the biggest buyer of the 777X with an order book that includes 170 of the 777-9 variant and 35 of the 777-8.

The airline has been critical of the continued delays that have resulted in a $5 billion retrofit for its current 777 planes and Airbus A380s to keep them flying for longer as it awaits 777X deliveries.

If Emirates had received the aircraft on its original schedule, it would be operating 80 of the 777-9s by now, the airline's president Tim Clark said in June in New Delhi.

Other airline customers of the 777X include Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways while Deutsche Lufthansa is the launch customer of the plane.

Boeing has taken about $15 billion in charges related to the 777X programme, including those disclosed on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The latest charge includes penalties owed to customers for late deliveries, it said.

The plane maker on Wednesday posted a third-quarter loss of $5.33 billion, compared to $6.17 billion loss in the same period of 2024.

Boeing's revenue for the quarter rose 30 per cent year-on-year to $23.3 billion, reflecting improved operational performance and higher commercial jets delivery volume, it said.

The company delivered 160 commercial jets during the three-month period, up 38 per cent on the same period last year, the highest quarterly total since 2018, it said. Boeing's backlog included more than 5,900 planes valued at $535 billion.

During the quarter, it booked 161 net orders for commercial planes, including 50 of the 787 Dreamliners for Turkish Airlines and 30 of the 737-8 planes for Norwegian Group.

The 737 programme stabilised production at 38 a month in the quarter and Boeing jointly agreed with the Federal Aviation Administration in October to increase to 42 a month, the company said.

The 787's production is at seven a month and Boeing said it has progressed on previously-announced investments to expand South Carolina operations.