Friday 19 July was set to be one of the busiest days of the summer for Europe’s airports. But the world’s biggest IT outage had other plans for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers.
12.07.2024 - 16:31 / insider.com / Richard Aboulafia
Boeing's 777X is the world's largest passenger plane in production, complete with revolutionary folding wingtips and 10% better fuel efficiency than competitors.
More than a dozen airlines, including British Airways, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines, have placed 481 orders for the twin-engine aircraft that was supposed to startflying passengers by 2020.
But the new jet, already five years behind schedule, has Boeing $1.5 billion in the hole. With the planemaker mired with other 737 and 787-related fires, adding an entirely new plane to the mix has become even harder.
Boeing now expects the 777X, which will come in the larger 777-9 and smaller 777-8 variants, to be certified in 2025. And at least one waiting airline boss thinks it may be even later.
A Boeing spokesperson told Business Insider it is working closely with regulators in the 777X's certification, noting the jet has completed thousands of test flights to date.
"Our team remains focused on executing this comprehensive series of tests and conditions on the ground and in the air to demonstrate the safety, reliability and performance of the airplane," they said, reaffirming the 2025 target.
Delays could stretch even longer as Boeing searches for a new CEO and clears a backlog of almost 6,200 unfilled orders, experts said. The FAA slowed deliveries after the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout in January and capped Boeing's 737 production.
"With new management at Boeing, I'll feel a lot better at certification prospects for this jet," aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia told BI. "In fact, until new management arrives, there's really nothing the company says that should be taken seriously."
A lot is riding on the new 777X, including proving its modified design was the right strategy over building a new plane from scratch. Boeing will also need to earn back the trust of airlines that have raised concerns about the planemaker's ability to certify and deliver planes, experts said.
Boeing also doesn't want to fall further behind rival Airbus. The European planemaker's A321neo family has outsold the 737 since 2019, and it's already launched the 777X's competing Airbus A350 widebody, which has some 1,300 orders to date from the likes of Korean Air, Delta Air Lines, Singapore Airlines, and Lufthansa.
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The 777X's familiarity and more spacious 10-abreast cabin are huge selling points against the A350, which is smaller than the 777-9 model but cheaper and longer-ranged.
Unlike Airbus' A350, Boeing based the 777X on its classic 777-300ER but modified it to be larger and more efficient. The 777-300ER is Boeing's best-selling 777 variant, selling over 800 units since 2000.
Key differences between the two 777 types are the size, engines, and
Friday 19 July was set to be one of the busiest days of the summer for Europe’s airports. But the world’s biggest IT outage had other plans for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers.
As the school holidays begin for many across the UK, Cirium has revealed the number of scheduled departures from UK airports this weekend and how these compare to pre-pandemic levels.
Sandals Resorts International invites travelers to feel the vibrant rhythms and stunning ombre blues of the Caribbean Sea with incredible savings across eleven (11) Sandals Resorts and three (3) Beaches Resorts with the “Rhythm and Blues” sale. The limited-time offer rewards guests who want to bask in paradise just a little longer with up to $1,000 in air credit to be enjoyed this summer and through mid 2025 at select resorts. As an added benefit, for a limited time, booking online at sandals.com or beaches.com earns guests an additional $100 off their stay.
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I'm zooming across Gull Lake in a Malibu Wakesetter 22 LSV powerboat, which I've been told has enough torque to rocket me to the moon. The water is 77 degrees, warmed by a sun that just won't quit. Captain Amanda Nash and instructor Matt Soundy barely look old enough to drink, yet both are skilled wake surfers, excited to show me their TikTok moves. They're living the wet, hot American dream here in central Minnesota: zigzagging across six-foot swells, sucking down root beer floats, and partying every night after work. They're fun gossips too, pointing out the rumored lake homes of Tom Cruise and some med-tech bajillionaire who allegedly imported his own beach sand because the lake sand wasn't “white enough.” I enjoy the chitchat, but I'm here to launch my own wakeboarding career—one of several ways I'm trying to embrace the “lake life” I've heard so much about since moving to Minnesota six years ago. The state is the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” as its license plates proudly attest, but as my New Yorker husband, Andrew, and I learned, that motto rounds the number down: There are actually 11,842, if you want to get persnickety about it.
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