VIVAERO

Boeing 777X makes first flight in five years, advances toward certification

The newest Boeing 777-9X took off on Monday (5/08) from Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington, marking an important step forward in the certification process for the North American manufacturer's new-generation widebody aircraft.

This was the first time in nearly five years that Boeing built, prepared, and conducted the maiden flight of a 777-9, signaling a return to the 777X program schedule. The aircraft took off at 11:03 a.m. (local time) and remained in the air for 2 hours and 27 minutes.

The test flight was commanded by pilots Ted Grady, chief pilot for the 777X, and Mark Brown, project pilot for the 777-9. The pair flew the aircraft to an altitude of 39,000 feet and a cruise speed of Mach 0.84, typical standards for a first evaluation flight.

In addition to the pilots, systems operators Zach Lewis and Joel Conard, as well as flight analysts Cody Bruinsma and Mike Deutsch, participated in the flight. The aircraft landed safely at 1:30 p.m., also at Paine Field. The aircraft has provisional registration N2007L and will be delivered to Singapore Airlines in the future.

"The 777-9 flies beautifully, and this aircraft performed exactly as we expected," said Captain Ted Grady. "We appreciate the hard work of our teams who designed, built, and prepared this airplane. We remain fully focused on achieving certification and delivering the 777-9 to our customers."

Since the jet rolled off the assembly line last month, the technical team has worked on stages such as fueling, engine testing, and taxi tests. Engineer Michael Kellner, responsible for coordinating the processes across the engineering teams, highlighted the professionals' emotional involvement in the project: "We care for these airplanes as if they were our children. Seeing this 777-9 take off is a source of pride and emotion."

The new 777X family jet, in its final production configuration, will now undergo a series of ground and flight tests. The next phases will focus on certification for resistance to electromagnetic interference and lightning. Boeing has already logged more than 4,000 hours of testing with the 777-9 fleet and maintains its target for the first delivery of the model in 2026.