Dubai’s Emirates Airline chides Boeing over fresh 777X delay

Dubai’s Emirates, a major customer of Boeing’s widebody jets, has indicated that it will be holding in-depth discussions with the US aircraft manufacturer in the coming months,” the airline’s president, Sir Tim Clark, said in a statement on Monday, following the announcement of a one-year postponement in the delivery of the 777X model.

Boeing’s newly appointed CEO, Kelly Ortberg, announced last Friday that the company had informed airlines of a postponement in the launch of its 777X aircraft until 2026, delaying deliveries of its largest wide-body aircraft by around six years.

“Emirates has had to make significant and highly expensive amendments to our fleet programmes as a result of Boeing’s multiple contractual shortfalls,” Sir Clark said, adding that given Boeing’s current situation “, I fail to see how Boeing can make any meaningful forecasts of delivery dates.”

The planemaker attributed the delay to various challenges encountered during program development, a temporary suspension of flight testing, and labour strikes. Roughly 33,000 workers have been on strike since September 13, seeking a 40 per cent wage increase over four years.

Furthermore, Boeing will reportedly send out 60-day notices to thousands of workers next month, including many in its commercial aviation division, meaning those staff will leave the company in mid-January.

The statement highlights the increasing discontent among airline passengers who have been anticipating the arrival of their ordered aircraft for years, only to witness repeated delays in the promised delivery timelines.

Boeing had 503 total 777X orders from 13 named airlines and some as-yet unidentified customers as of September 2024. This includes 43 orders for the B777-8, 55 orders for the B777-8F, and 405 orders for the larger and more popular B777-9, according to Simple Flying.

The top five airlines with the most orders include Emirates (205 aircraft), Qatar Airways (74 aircraft), Singapore Airlines (31 aircraft), Lufthansa (27 aircraft), and Etihad Airways (25 aircraft).

Other major airlines with substantial orders include Cathay Pacific, All Nippon Airways, Korean Air, British Airways, Air India, and Cargolux.

The 777X is crucial to Emirates’ future wide-body fleet. The airline has built its fleet around two main models: the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380 double-decker.

However, with the delay in Boeing’s next-generation 777 model and the discontinuation of the A380 by Airbus, Emirates has been compelled to implement a comprehensive and costly retrofit program to extend the service life of its existing jets.

It plans to invest more than $3bn in a comprehensive retrofit program aimed at rejuvenating 191 Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft.

Earlier in July, Sir Clark already said that he didn’t expect the 777X to enter commercial service before 2026.

Read: Emirates chair Sheikh Ahmed “not happy” with Boeing 777X repair delays