Boeing has flown its 777X to Dubai for its international debut at the upcoming Dubai Air Show starting on November 14th.
The 777X made the 15-hour nonstop flight from Seattle yesterday.
The #777X has made its international debut with its longest flight yet: 15+ hours nonstop from Seattle!
Watch the #777X touch down at Dubai World Central ahead of the @DubaiAirshow. #DAS21 pic.twitter.com/CCHA20MyhS
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) November 10, 2021
Emirates President Sir Tim Clark earlier this month was very critical of Boeing and the delays in the certification of the 777X.
Mr. Clark will be hoping that not only will the 777X wow the crowd at the Dubai Air Show but Boeing management will wow Emirates – the 777Xs biggest customer – with concrete plans for its certification.
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That certification process has been upended after the tragic 737 MAX crashes.
In June the US safety regulator, the FAA, told Boeing that the 777X will not be certified till late 2023.
In a letter, revealed by the Seattle Times, the FAA rejected the company’s request to issue a Type Inspection Authorization Readiness saying “the aircraft is not yet ready for TIA.”
This followed the FAA telling Boeing to address various problems, including flight control software that apparently triggered the plane to pitch abruptly without pilots’ input during a December 2020 test flight.
The late 2023 certification timeline is in line with Boeing’s advice to the market given by Chief Executive Dave Calhoun.
A Boeing spokeswoman told CNBC at the time that the company “remains fully focused on safety as our highest priority throughout 777X development. As we subject the airplane to a comprehensive test program to demonstrate its safety and reliability, we are working through a rigorous development process to ensure we meet all applicable requirements.”
Boeing installed a major software upgrade on the four test aircraft to address a series of problems including the software fix for the un-commanded pitch event that occurred on December 8, 2020.
