Boeing’s long-awaited next-generation aircraft, the 777X, appears to be facing yet another postponement before it will finally be cleared to carry commercial passengers. During a presentation at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference on Thursday, Boeing’s recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortberg, delivered an unusually candid update that underscored the seriousness of the delays. Ortberg explained that the pivotal certification process for the jet is not progressing according to schedule, acknowledging outright that the company has fallen behind its own internal projections. In his words, Boeing is “clearly behind plan” when it comes to achieving the necessary approvals from regulators in order to bring the aircraft into service.
Although Ortberg made it clear that the current backlog has not been caused by unforeseen technical failures or new safety concerns emerging from the ongoing flight test program, he emphasized that the scope of work still required is monumental. He described the remaining tasks as a “mountain of work,” suggesting that despite the absence of new mechanical obstacles, the complexity and scale of the regulatory and engineering requirements continue to weigh heavily on the program. The financial community reacted swiftly to this disclosure; Boeing’s stock experienced a decline of 3.3% in immediate trading after his remarks became public.
The CEO highlighted that even marginal schedule shifts in the 777X program can reverberate significantly across Boeing’s broader financial picture. To that end, Ortberg has instructed the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Jay Malave, to analyze in detail the financial implications of these latest setbacks. He admitted that what might appear to outsiders as a short or limited delay can in reality exert considerable financial pressure, given the scale of the program, the number of customers awaiting delivery, and the revenue streams tied directly to its entry into service.
The aircraft itself, once certified, is set to become the largest twin-engine passenger jet in the world. One of its most distinctive and frequently cited innovations is its folding wingtips, a mechanism that allows for extraordinarily long wings to be deployed in flight for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and fuel savings, while still enabling the aircraft to fit within the existing dimensions of standard airport gates when parked. Industry observers have hailed this feature as emblematic of Boeing’s ability to combine aeronautical innovation with practical operational considerations. Even so, these repeated postponements are testing the patience of airline customers who have been waiting for years beyond the originally promised delivery dates.
The extent of the delay is striking when viewed in historical context. The aircraft was initially projected to enter commercial service as early as 2020, but the timeline has been repeatedly pushed back. Last year Ortberg himself confirmed yet another deferral, moving the target to 2026. His most recent statements, however, left open the possibility that certification could even drift further into 2027, though he refrained from providing a direct confirmation.
The frustrations among major clients are palpable. Emirates, the Dubai-based carrier that has placed the largest order for the 777X, has been among the most vocal critics. Following the most recent postponement, Emirates president Tim Clark publicly declared his intention to have what he described as a “serious conversation” with Boeing leadership. Clark even went so far as to question Boeing’s credibility in forecasting delivery schedules at all, saying he could not see how the company could make meaningful commitments given the history of missed timelines. Emirates, when approached for comment on Ortberg’s latest disclosure, did not issue an immediate response.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding certification, the 777X program has attracted remarkable interest throughout the global aviation sector. Positioned as the successor to the widely popular Boeing 777, which has long reigned as one of the most successful wide-body aircraft in aviation history, the 777X has already accumulated more than 600 orders, according to Boeing’s own figures. These orders have often been intertwined not only with corporate fleet strategies but also with international diplomacy. For example, in May of a recent year, during then-President Donald Trump’s trip through the Middle East, Qatar Airways announced a massive $96 billion order that included 30 of the 777X aircraft, an announcement paired closely with broader trade negotiations. That very same month, British Airways confirmed an order for six of the models, a symbolic move coinciding with the finalization of a bilateral trade arrangement between the United States and the United Kingdom. More recently, Korean Air placed a substantial order for 103 planes — of which 20 will be the 777X — announced only days after a summit at the White House between the South Korean president and U.S. leadership.
Taken together, these developments illustrate both the promise and the challenges of the 777X program. It remains one of the most technologically ambitious and commercially significant aircraft projects currently underway anywhere in the world, offering customers the prospect of a more fuel-efficient, longer-range, and higher-capacity option for global routes. Yet, each incremental delay exacerbates tensions with airlines, unsettles financial markets, and raises doubts about Boeing’s ability to regain its reputation as a reliable manufacturer of cutting-edge aircraft on predictable timelines. Ortberg’s latest remarks may not have introduced any entirely new problems, but by reinforcing the scale of the remaining effort required, they signal that Boeing’s road to delivering the world’s largest twin-engine jet will be longer and more uncertain than the company — and the aviation community — had once hoped.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-plane-777x-might-be-delayed-again-ceo-says-2025-9
