- Lufthansa’s B777-9s have been delayed again
- The airline will keep flying older A340-300s until summer 2027
- Boeing pushed first B777-9 delivery beyond the first quarter of 2027
- Lufthansa removed the B777-9 from its summer 2027 schedule
- The delay impacts fleet modernisation and capital expenditure
Lufthansa’s B777-9s have been delayed again forcing Germany’s largest airline to keep flying older A340-300s until summer 2027 as a contingency plan. Speaking during the company’s third-quarter earnings call Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr confirmed Boeing had officially pushed the first B777-9 delivery beyond the first quarter of 2027. The airline now expects a low single-digit number of deliveries of the type in the second quarter of 2027.
As a result Spohr reported the group has removed the B777-9 from its summer 2027 schedule and will retain additional A340-300s to cover long-haul flying. Spohr described the move as Plan B in response to Boeing’s latest delay. For 2028 B787 deliveries intended for Austrian Airlines may be reallocated to Frankfurt International to maintain long-haul schedules.
The delay extends a programme that has fallen far behind its original timetable. Boeing said in its 2013 launch announcement that production would begin in 2017 and first delivery was targeted for 2020. Certification remains the central obstacle. Boeing has continued certification flight testing but the Federal Aviation Administration will not certify the B777-9 until it approves a redesigned mid-seal for the aircraft’s GE Aerospace GE9X turbofan engines. Lufthansa is a launch customer for the B777-9 and has 21 of the aircraft on order.
