- Tim Clark compared the first ten B777X aircraft to “baked bean tins.”
- Emirates will not accept that batch of aircraft.
- The seventh built B777-9 was scrapped in 2025 after six years parked.
- Boeing expects certification and delivery in 2027.
- Emirates has 235 B777-9s and 35 B777-8s on order.
- Emirates will reject the first 10 or 11 Boeing 777-9s due to age and modifications.
- Clark stated the aircraft were produced in 2019 and would be eight years old by delivery.
- Clark stated he expected Boeing to scrap the affected aircraft.
- Boeing gained FAA Type Inspection Authorization Phase 4B approval earlier this year.
- Emirates has 270 777-9s on order with the first scheduled in Q2 2027.
Emirates president Tim Clark has compared the first ten B777X aircraft produced by Boeing to “baked bean tins” and stated the carrier would not accept them due to the amount of work they need after production. Clark said during the Farnborough International Airshow that Emirates would not take that batch.
He repeated that Emirates will reject the first 10 or 11 of its Boeing 777X order because of their age and the number of modifications made to them, President Tim Clark stated at the Farnborough Airshow. Clark stated the aircraft were produced as long ago as 2019 and if taken in Q1 2027, they would be eight years old, approximately half of their expected lifetime in Emirates service. Clark stated he expected Boeing to scrap the affected aircraft.
Clark stated he had intimated to Boeing that taking the aircraft was not the way to go and that Boeing might be able to sell them at a hugely reduced price to another airline. Clark stated if he had been running Boeing, he would have provisioned for their write-off and charged that to profit and loss accounts. Boeing gained FAA Type Inspection Authorization Phase 4B approval for the 777-9 earlier this year.
Emirates has 270 777-9s on order, with the first scheduled to enter service in Q2 2027. The 777X has experienced multiple delays in development and service entry, with Emirates initially expecting the first aircraft in 2020.
The comments followed a report that the seventh built B777-9 had been scrapped in 2025 due to the amount of rework it needed, having been parked for six years.
Boeing expects to complete certification and start delivering the B777X aircraft in 2027, with the test fleet logging more than 4,800 flight hours and roughly 1,700 flights, with 50pc of planned certification testing complete. Emirates has 235 B777-9s on order and 35 B777-8s.
Other carriers with large B777-9 orders include Qatar Airways with 90, Cathay Pacific with 35, Singapore Airlines with 30, and British Airways with 24.
Tim Clark, President of Emirates, shared, “If we were to take those aircraft in Q1 2027, they will be eight years old. They’re of no use to anybody. We’re not taking that batch, and that’s it.”
