Dubai Airshow: Boeing is back as 777X debuts

It marks not only the international show debut of the manufacturer’s flagship wide-body, but what the company hopes will be a turning point in its commercial fortunes.

The 777-9 flight-test aircraft made the 15-hour non-stop flight from Seattle to Dubai arriving on November 9, its longest flight to date as it undergoes its extensive test programme.

The 777X programme was launched with great fanfare at the 2013 Dubai Airshow with Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways among the launch customers in what Boeing claimed was the largest ever product launch in commercial jetliner history by dollar value.

After launching with 259 orders, sales of the 777X have risen modestly to today’s total of 351 orders and commitments from eight customers.

Frustratingly for some customers, first delivery of the 777X has slipped from 2020 to the end of 2023. Boeing is waiting for approval from the FAA to begin formal type-certification testing of the aircraft.

Presenting the company’s latest financial results in late October, Boeing chief executive, David Calhoun, said: “The airplane is performing well and in line with our customer commitments based on the data we’ve collected to date.”

Here in Dubai, Boeing will be hoping to bag new 777X orders and may announce the launch of a freighter version of the aeroplane.

The test aircraft is flying on to Doha after the show to visit launch customer Qatar Airways, with this carrier seen as a strong candidate to order the freighter version.