The Boeing 777X has been the best-selling widebody aircraft to date. The United States
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reportedly told Boeing that the 777X long-haul aircraft
was not ready for the next step of certification due to safety concerns. The new passenger
variant of Boeing’s popular 777 aircraft is likely to get the FAA’s approval only
in late 2023 or even 2024. In today's video, we are going to talk about “The
Boeing 777X Has a Serious Problem.” So without any further ado, Let's begin.
The FAA has blocked Boeing from moving forward with a key step in its certification of the
aircraft, pushing the projected date on which the FAA will give the aircraft the all-clear
back by months. Originally scheduled for certification in 2020, the 777X has accumulated 2,000 flight
test hours.
However, the 777X has encountered more than one major hurdle on its way to first delivery,
most notably more thorough oversight from regulators resulting from investigations into
the two fatal crashes of the 737 Max in October 2018 and March 2019. Right now, Boeing has
more than 300 orders for its new, larger version of the 777 wide-body jet from eight airlines,
including Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines (SIA).
According to Reuters, Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety
Agency, told reporters in Washington, "We just need to agree on common principles of
how to achieve the safety targets that we have, and we need to understand each other.
That's where we are. We need to agree on planning, and who does what."
The Boeing 777X has been beset with production delays and delivery deferrals, irritating
some airline customers. The model's largest customer, the Emirates airline, which has
150 Boeing 777X aircraft on order, previously said it lacked “visibility” from Boeing
regarding the 777X aircraft delivery timeline.
Boeing determined some customers may be unable to finance deals, while others have the right
to walk away from their orders because of delivery delays. Each carries a sticker price
of more than $400 million. Boeing has identified eight customers for the 777X, a relatively
small number given that more than 30 carriers operate the existing version of the jet.
Emirates was initially supposed to start taking the first Boeing 777X aircraft deliveries
in 2020. However, that timeline was initially pushed back to 2022 and later to 2023. Recently,
Clark revealed that it was unlikely Emirates was “going to get it before 2023 or probably
2024”. Other airlines that will be affected are Singapore
Airlines which has already started retiring their aircraft in anticipation of the 777X
it looks like they will have to keep older aircraft. Adding to its previous 777X launch
order in 2013 for 20 of the passenger version of the giant new plane, Lufthansa ordered
seven 777X freighter models for its air cargo unit.
The freighter model, the 777-8F, was launched in January amid sharply higher demand for
air cargo capacity that's expected to continue for years. Lufthansa also ordered seven 787-9
Dreamliners. And it added orders for two current model 777 freighters, to provide "extra cargo
capacity in the near-term until the delivery of its first 777-8 Freighter."
The orders are worth a total of more than $2.5 billion after standard discounts, according
to market pricing data from aircraft valuation firm Avitas. However, Boeing has got a lot
right too – and this is becoming apparent as events in Ukraine unfold.
New aircraft rely heavily on lightweight materials, including titanium. Titanium has other key
properties too, including its high strength and heat resistance, making it ideal for use
in the body of the plane (the airframe), the parts that hold the structure together (the
fastening elements), and the wheels and undercarriage (the landing gear).
Unfortunately, titanium is scarce – and 16% of its supply comes from Russia and Ukraine.
Despite the setbacks, Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun assured analysts during
a conference call following the earnings release Wednesday that better days are ahead.
Through the rest of the year, “our financials will accelerate, and going forward, there
is an opportunity for the company to return to sustainable growth.” In a statement with
the release, he said, Boeing is “focused on our performance as we work through certification
requirements and mature several key programs to production.
Leading with safety and quality, we’re taking the right actions to drive stability throughout
our operations, deliver on our commitments to customers, and position Boeing for a sustainable
future.” When Boeing’s all-new 777X jumbo jet goes into service, passengers can likely
expect an upsized experience – from a more spacious cabin to bigger windows and overhead
stowage compartments. The windows are also about 16 percent bigger
than those found on board the 777-300ER. Passengers may also find the ride much quieter, according
to Captain Van Chaney who has clocked nearly 1,000 flight testing hours on the 777X. What's
more, is its pin-up potential. With a wing span of up to 71.8 meters and a length of
76.7 meters (longer than a 747), the 777X is a beast and one that is set to become Boeing's
flagship aircraft. New seats featuring a “refreshing and ultra-modern
design”, alongside smart features, will be in store for those traveling in business
class. For the premium economy and economy, brand new seats promising more comfort will
also be rolled out. The -8 has a projected range of 8690 nautical
miles (16,000km), and the -9 7525 (13,900km) nautical miles, both shorter than the 9700
nautical miles of the A350-900ULR, the aircraft currently serving the world's longest flight
between New York and Singapore. That said, it has been reported that the 777-8
could serve the "holy grail" of routes, between Sydney and London, carrying perhaps fewer
passengers (280) and heading west with favorable winds. "We think our airplane has the legs
and the capability," said Dinesh Keskar, Boeing Senior Vice President Sales Asia-Pacific and
India in 2017. "If the 787-9 can do Perth-London, we think
that when the 777-8 comes out in the 2021 timeframe we will have a lot more improvement
in technology." The 777 was Boeing’s first fly-by-wire aircraft, meaning computers read
the pilots’ inputs and translate them to the movement of the flight-control surfaces
— an innovation pioneered in commercial aviation by the Airbus A320 in the 1980s.
The folding wingtips will allow the aircraft to fit into gates where the existing models
of the 777 can go, despite a longer wingspan. An increased wingspan produces extra lift,
which reduces fuel burn. The 777X has the largest wingspan of any Boeing commercial
jet, in fact. The 777X, first launched by Boeing nine years ago as its updated version
of the 777 that first flew commercially in 1995, is “the world’s largest and most
fuel-efficient twin-engine jet”, according to its maker.
The 777X uses new General Electric GE9X engines. These are the largest and most powerful commercial
engines ever built. They are bigger than a 737 fuselage and will deliver 105,000 lb/f
of thrust. Despite the increased size, these engines are lighter than the GE90 engines
on the 777 (mainly due to fewer fan blades and the use of carbon fiber composite materials).
And overall, the 777X is around 20% more efficient than the 777-300ER and about 10% more efficient
(both in fuel use and operating cost) than its Airbus competitor, the A350-1000 (according
to Boeing data). It's an "absolute peach", said Emirates president Tim Clark of the aircraft.
"It is a step-change in aircraft design and a step-change in propulsion. We are very happy
we have got what we wanted," he told Australian Aviation.
Now that we've come to the end of this video, I want to thank you for sticking with me,
and I'd love to know what you think of it. Just comment down below. Also, If you like
this video, make sure you like it, and stay safe.
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