Boeing expects some 777X certification testing to spill into 2027, even as it still plans to begin first deliveries of the long-delayed widebody jet that year. Chief executive Kelly Ortberg tied the latest setback to an unresolved GE Aerospace GE9X engine mid-seal issue that is holding up ETOPS authorisation, a requirement before extended twin-engine flight testing can begin.
Ortberg gave the update at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference, where Boeing’s guidance focused on finishing the remaining flight-test programme under approved Type Inspection Authorities. The company has not secured the ETOPS clearance needed to move into the next phase, and further testing on the engine certification plan is still under way.
The 777X remains Boeing’s key next-generation large twin-aisle aircraft and a direct competitor to Airbus’s A350 family. The programme has already been delayed for years, but Boeing continues to frame the schedule as compatible with 2027 deliveries, rather than a change to that target. The latest comments suggest the remaining certification work may run into early 2027 rather than being completed before year-end.