One of Boeing’s biggest customers says 777X debut could go beyond 2022

Boeingof (NYSE: BA) The 777X, already delayed until 2022, might not arrive until 2023 or even later, depending on the aircraft’s largest customer.

In an interview with Reuters today, Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said his airline does not assume the plane will arrive in 2022 as planned. Emirates accounts for around a third of the 777X’s order book, but the airline has previously said it may consider swapping some of its orders with different planes depending on market conditions and how long it will take for the 777X is coming.

Boeing 777 assembly line. Image source: Boeing.

The 777X is an update on Boeing’s long-haul workhorse and will be the first new aircraft the company is trying to certify since the 737 MAX. MAX’s deployment did not go as planned, with the plane grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes, and Clark expects a rigorous regulatory review to be enforced this time around.

He told Reuters that the 777X certification could take place in 2022, or “could be 23, it could be even longer,” saying Emirates “will just wait and see what Boeing does about it, and we will take a opinion as to their integration into the fleet at that time. “

Boeing had initially hoped to have the 777X ready now, but a combination of lukewarm demand and failed testing has pushed the schedule back. The plane first flew last year, but even before the pandemic, Boeing seemed unlikely to begin deliveries until at least 2021.

The 737 MAX, which constitutes the bulk of Boeing’s order book, has been cleared to return to service. The company is expected to rely heavily on sales and deliveries of the 737s in the coming years, as airlines prepare for slow recoveries and downsize larger jets like the 777 and 787 Dreamliner.