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Boeing 777X to be certified by end of year or early 2026

Kelly Ortberg says 777-9 widebody program is on track for first delivery to Lufthansa

Despite multiple delays, the 777X program is on track to achieve FAA type certification within a year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said.

Speaking at a Barclays event, the chief executive said that “we are planning to complete certification late this year or early next year so that we can start deliveries.”

The launch customer for the 777-9, the first and largest variant of the 777X family, will be Lufthansa, which has ordered 20 aircraft.

According to Ortberg, the German airline’s CEO, Carsten Spohr, told him how critical the widebody is to the company.

With a capacity for 426 passengers in two classes, the 777-9 is expected to take over flights currently operated by the 747-8 and the A380, which are much less efficient.

Boeing reports that it has 383 net orders for the 777X, 383 for the 777-9 variant, 78 for the 777-8 and 55 for the 777-8F freighter.

The certification program suffered a setback last August when cracks in the engine mounts were found. The company had to redesign the parts and replace them on the aircraft already completed, including four 777-9s in tests.

Certification flights resumed in January and one of the prototypes flew a few days ago to Curaçao, in the Caribbean, for testing in a hot and humid environment.