Official: Boeing 777X delivery delayed until at least 2026

It’s safe to say the Boeing 777X is a household name by now, and not for reasons that Boeing would want.

Originally scheduled to enter commercial service in 2020, the B777X has been subject to a farcical series of delays due to issues with its engines and fuselage, not to mention an “uncommanded pitch event” that surely set off alarm bells at an FAA trying to rebuild its reputation following the B737 MAX fiasco. That’s not to mention its well-publicised labour problems, with workers walking out after contract talks broke down.

Up till recently, Boeing was still making optimistic noises about a late 2025 debut for the aircraft, with Emirates CEO Tim Clark stating at the 2023 Dubai Airshow that he hoped to get his first B777-9 by October 2025.

But that was always going to be a tall order, and now we have official confirmation of what’s perhaps the worst-kept secret in aviation: the Boeing 777X is officially delayed till at least 2026.

Boeing 777X deliveries delayed till at least 2026

Boeing has officially announced that it expects the first delivery of a B777-9  to take place no earlier than 2026.

This schedule and resulting financial impact are based on an updated assessment of the certification timelines to address the delays in flight testing of the 777-9, as well as anticipated delays associated with the IAM work stoppage. 

-Boeing

Concurrently, the company also announced it would lay off roughly 10% of its workforce, translating to ~17,000 employees.

“We reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and to a more focused set of priorities. Over the coming months, we are planning to reduce the size of our total workforce by roughly 10 percent. These reductions will include executives, managers and employees”

-Boeing CEO

It’s been speculated that these layoffs are a power play to put pressure on striking workers, but even if the strike were to be resolved tomorrow, it would make no difference to the delivery timeline for the B777X.

Keep in mind, it’s not just the work stoppage that’s the problem. The B777X has had a torrid  time with its certification, with the FAA chiding the airline at one point that its proposed certification schedule was “outdated and no longer reflect the programme activities”. 

While the all-important Type Inspection Authorisation (TIA) was granted in July 2024, enabling the company to begin the certification process, it’s not all been smooth sailing. Just a couple of months ago, the test fleet was grounded after a routine post-flight inspection revealed the failure of a thrust link that mounts the engine to the aircraft. 

What does this mean for airlines?

At the time of writing, Boeing has taken more than 500 orders for the B777X from major carriers including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and of course, Singapore Airlines.

I don’t think it should be expecting too many Christmas cards from these customers, as the repeated delays have put them into awkward positions regarding capacity and new cabin products.

Singapore Airlines, for example, was expecting to take delivery of its first B777-9 in FY2021/22. It even decided to convert 14 of its B787-10 orders into 11 extra B777-9s, bringing its total to 31.

The B777-9 is crucial for the airline, because it’s the platform on which the already-finished next-generation First and Business Class seats are supposed to debut (there’ll also be a new Premium Economy and Economy Class seat, for what it’s worth).

With the 2017J seat essentially a niche product that’s only available on the Airbus A380s, the backbone of Singapore Airlines’ long-haul fleet is the 2013J seat, which at more than 10 years old is no longer competitive. It’s not a bad seat, don’t get me wrong, but when other carriers are offering doors, 4K screens, Bluetooth audio connectivity, USB-C and wireless charging, the 2013J looks like a fossil.

We’re already seeing the longest-ever gap between the introduction of a new long-haul Business Class seat since the turn of the century, and this additional delay won’t help. 

💺 SIA Long-haul Business Class Seats
Year of Introduction	Seat
1998	Ultimo
2002 (+4 years)	Spacebed
2006 (+4 years)	2006J
2013 (+7 years)	2013J
2017 (+4 years)	2017J
2026 (?) (+9 years)	2026J
SIA launched a new Business Class seat in 2021, but this is a regional product that will only feature on the B737 Max 8

All this begs the question: will Singapore Airlines’ hand now be forced? The airline recently decided against installing the new Business Class seats on its Airbus A350-900ULRs during their heavy maintenance, despite rumours it would happen. That would have been a prime opportunity to introduce the seats in a limited capacity at least, while still saving some oomph for the B777X in the form of the new First Class (which is not offered on the A350ULRs). 

Will SIA’s new cabin products launch on the Airbus A350-900ULR instead?

You can bet there will be intense discussions at Airline House in the weeks and months to come, and I wouldn’t completely rule out seeing the next-generation cabin products debuting on a different aircraft instead. It just seems impossible to me that Singapore Airlines continues with the 2013J seat well into the late 2020s (remember, it’ll take time to refit the existing aircraft too).

I’ve already written about the new features I’d like to see in the next-generation Business Class seat, so have a read if you’d like to daydream with me. 

My wishlist for the new Singapore Airlines Business Class seats

Singapore Airlines isn’t the only one waiting for Godot, however:

• Cathay Pacific was planning to introduce its new First and Business Class on the B777X, but delays have forced it to debut the new Aria Suites Business Class on the B777-300ER instead (the new Halo Suites First Class is still planned for a B777X debut)
• Emirates will install its latest First Class on the B777X, which is currently only available on a handful of B777-300ERs
• Qatar Airways is planning to launch a new First Class and updated Qsuites Business Class on the B777X
• Lufthansa was planning to debut its new Allegris First and Business Class on the B777X, but has now installed it on the A350s and B787s first

Boeing 777X: A primer

The Boeing 777X is the newest version of the 777, and the largest twin-engined passenger jet ever built, carrying up to 426 passengers in a hypothetical two-class configuration. With giant quadjets like the A380-800 and B747-8 falling out of favour, the B777X will likely be the largest passenger aircraft we see produced in time to come.

From a design perspective, the B777X is a curious beast. Boeing has retained the original aluminium fuselage of the B777, eschewing the lighter composite structure used on the B787 and A350. This means more weight, but is offset by the new engines and wing design. 

Wing design? Yes- you can’t talk about the B777X without talking about its unique folding carbon composite wingtips, a first among commercial aircraft.

This allows the B777X to have the best of both worlds: longer wings enable more efficient flying, but when folded on the ground make the B777X no wider than the current B777, allowing airports to accommodate it without building special gates (as they had to for the A380).

The engines are a technological marvel too. General Electric designed the new GE9X specifically for the B777X, with each engine offering 134,300 pounds of thrust, a world record for a commercial engine. That’s more thrust than Alan Shepard had at his disposal when he became the first American in space in 1961!

Despite their size, the GE9X is also extremely efficient. Boeing claims that the B777-9 will offer up to 11% lower operating costs than the A350-1000, though those claims can only really be verified once it enters service. 

The cabin is four inches wider than the B777, thanks to thinner walls and more efficient insulation. The extra width will not allow existing 10-abreast airlines to add an additional seat, but every inch matters for passenger comfort in Economy and Premium Economy. 

Passengers will enjoy larger overhead bins that allow luggage to be stacked sideways, increasing usable space. 

In other quality-of-life improvements, windows will be 16% larger than the B777, using an improved version of the electronic dimmer technology found on the B787 that can block 99.999% of visible light while dimming twice as fast.  Electric current is passed through a gel-like substance to control opacity, allowing for shadeless operation.

The B777X’s cabin will also be pressurized to 6,000 feet (instead of the typical 8,000 feet), which means denser air that’s easier to breathe and fewer jetlag effects. 

Boeing originally planned to create three variants of the 777X, each designed to counter a specific member of the A350 family. 

• The B777-8 would replace the B777-200ER, and compete with the A350-900
• The B777-8LR would replace the B777-200LR, and compete with the A350-900ULR
• The B777-9 would replace the B777-300ER, and compete with the A350-1000

However, it eventually settled on just the -8 and -9, scrapping plans for the -8LR.

The B777X programme officially launched at the 2013 Dubai Air Show with 259 orders totalling US$95 billion at list prices, the largest commercial aircraft launch by dollar value. 

The B777-9 will be the first to fly, with four prototypes produced to date:

N779XW was in Singapore for the 2022 Singapore Air Show, where I had the opportunity to tour it and see firsthand the work that Boeing is putting into its new flagship aircraft.

Conclusion

Boeing has confirmed that the first deliveries of the B777X will take place no earlier than 2026, news which should surprise absolutely no one. 

The programme has been beset by delays and is now six years behind schedule, creating a major headache for Singapore Airlines and other carriers which were relying on it to provide additional capacity and improve the inflight experience. 

Given that Singapore Airlines is not even the launch customer for the B777X, there is a very real possibility that it won’t be flying the aircraft until 2027 or beyond- a heck of a long time to be waiting for its next-generation cabin products.

Should Singapore Airlines bite the bullet and debut its next-generation cabin products on a different aircraft instead?