Boeing announced today, during a financial results conference, that it had to postpone the first flight of the 777-9X to 2020, after facing problems with the GE9X engines, which are still in the development phase.
The manufacturer had previously estimated to make the first flight of the 777X in March this year, but problems with the 737 MAX forced Boeing to shift teams to the narrow body project, with a focus on presenting a good solution quickly.
The manufacturer started ground tests with the 777-9X in June this year, with the first prototype, however, GE notified the company that the GE9X engine would need some corrections, to increase its durability to the level expected by the engineers.
Despite all this delay, Boeing wants to certify the Boeing 777X still in 2020, the company points out that it will use all 12 months of next year to carry out extensive tests with the two prototypes, in addition to the first series production aircraft.
Boeing does not rule out a delay in the first delivery of the 777-9X.
“The 777X program is progressing well through testing already completed. While the company is still targeting late 2020 for the first 777X delivery, there is significant risk to this schedule due to engine challenges, which are delaying the first flight until early 2020.”, said Boeing this Wednesday (24).
Boeing has already assembled the first 777-9X for Lufthansa and Emirates, which are now in the manufacturer's yard in Everett (USA), where the 777 family production line is located.
About the GE9X engine problem
The problem was detected in late May when exhaust gas temperature readings were outside the range expected by engineers.
GE said it will install a "stronger" and redesigned part on all eight engines involved in the GE9X test program by August.
“During a factory test, an engine gave us a signal about its health. We had an anomaly in the compressor and stopped the operation and the tests”, said GE. "It's a mechanical issue and has nothing to do with the engine's overall performance or the way it was designed."
According to GE, the area where a problem was detected is in the high pressure compressor, due to the size of the engine, the place has 11 stages, until it reaches the combustion chamber.
"It's not an aerodynamic issue", said GE. Several solutions are being studied, although GE declined to provide further details until the fix is finalized.
Boeing 777X
The Boeing 777X has two aircraft options, the 777-8X is capable of receiving 350 seats in a standard two-class configuration, its range is up to 15000 km. The 777-9X, the largest variant of the T7 family to date, will be able to accommodate 450 engers in a two-class configuration, with a flight range of 13200 km.
The Boeing 777-9X that was presented is 76,7 meters long.
The new plane includes a combination of “many 777 and 787 heritages,” Beezhold said. “We made the fuselage wider than the -300ER, for more comfortable seats and rows of up to 10 seats.”
The new 777X will require less thrust than the -300ER because it will have a more efficient wing. And that wing is quite long – the wingspan of the 777X will reach 71,8 meters. As it is wider than standard airport gates, the plane will have a folding wing to reduce the span to 64,7 meters when on the ground.
The 777X is equipped with two GE GE9X engines, which belong to the new generation.
The 777-8X competes directly with the Airbus A350-1000, while the 777-9X stands alone in its aircraft class, and will address a need for greater economy without losing carrying capacity.
To date, the 777X has accumulated more than 340 firm orders and commitments from six customers worldwide. The first delivery is scheduled for 2020.
At almost 6 meters wide internally, the new 777X will be able to receive a configuration with up to 11 seats per row in Economy Class, generally in a 3-5-3 distribution.
