General Electric announced that it delivered a pair of GE9X engines to Boeing, already with component correction to increase the durability of the propulsion unit.
The delivery was carried out in advance, and the engines have already been sent to equip the first prototype, which until then had been carrying out tests of the aircraft's systems on the ground.
Boeing should soon resume ground tests with the first prototype, to check instruments and analyze data, before deciding on the first flight that could take place in January.
As stated above, Boeing has again delayed the first flight of the 777-9X, to early 2020, but continues with the prospect of certifying its new aircraft next year, with deliveries in 2021.
The transport of these engines will be carried out by the Russian company Volga-Dnepr Airlines, with an An-124 aircraft, which will transfer the engines from Ohio, on a GE line, to Everett. The An-124 is one of the few aircraft qualified to carry this engine.
The engine is huge, weighing 16.300 kg (36.000 lb) and at 3,4 meters in diameter, it is not an easy object to replace. In fact, it's so big that the fuselage of the Boeing 737 actually fits inside the engine. Boeing and GE had to hire an Antonov AN-124 to take the engines back to the GE Ohio facility. Because it was a Russian aircraft operating in US airspace, special permission from the US Department of Defense was required.
