Today marks three years since the launch flight of the Boeing 777X - following several program setbacks, Boeing hopes to receive certification by late 2024 and have the first 777Xs arriving to customers in 2025. Let's see what's the latest with the Boeing 777X below.

Three years on from maiden 777X flight

On January 25th, 2020, the first Boeing 777X took off from Paine Field at 10:09 and completed a three-hour 51-minute flight before landing at Boeing Field, Seattle. Three years later and the 777X program, which was initially intended for a 2020 entry-to-service date, has been repeatedly beset by delays exacerbated by the COVID pandemic - Boeing's latest estimate has deliveries set back by half a decade to 2025 and the program could still face more issues.

In November, Emirates' President Sir Tim Clark revealed that the 777X test program was paused due to issues with the GE9X engine, although the test program has since resumed after aircraft N779XW took to the skies again on December 22nd.

Hopes were high for the widebody after a huge order from Emirates in 2013 valued at $76 billion, making it the largest aircraft order of all time, along with orders from launch customer Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and others. Unfortunately, production and certification problems will delay the jet's entry for at least five years, but will it all be worth it in the end?

Costly delays and more to come?

Setbacks to the 777X program have cost Boeing billions - after recording a pre-tax charge of $6.5 billion back in January 2021, Boeing wrote off another $1.5 billion in April 2022 after confirming that it now expects the first 777X deliveries to take place in 2025.

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Photo: Dan Nevill via Wikimedia Commons

Along with problems involving the GE9X engine setting back the maiden flight until 2020, the 777X has experienced other setbacks, including a cargo door blowing off during a stress test conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Testbed update

Simple Flying recently explored how active Boeing's 777X testbed aircraft have been in the last year - two of the program's four test aircraft are active (recently after N779XX resumed flights following a five-month pause), while its remaining two have not taken flight for over six months.

Photo: Boeing

While the latest has the 777X getting certified before 2025, many customers won't be getting their aircraft in 2025 even if Boeing can stick to its revised schedule - for example, British Airways, which placed its order in 2019, won't take delivery of its first 777X until 2026 at the earliest.

Do you think Boeing will be able to achieve its 2025 delivery date for the 777X? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.