Emirates does not expect deliveries of the Boeing B777X aircraft before 2027 or even 2028, contrary to Boeing’s public goal of deliveries starting in 2026, according to sources familiar with the airline’s plans.
Emirates is the largest customer for the B777X, with an order of thirty-five B777-8s and 170 B777-9s, greatly exceeding the next biggest order from Qatar Airways for sixty B777-9s and thirty-four B777-8Fs.
The airline’s deliveries were originally scheduled to begin in 2020, but the US Federal Aviation Administration has yet to certify the aircraft type, leading to ongoing criticism from Emirates President Tim Clark regarding the development issues.
Due to the prolonged delays, Emirates has allocated USD4 billion for refurbishing older B777-300ERs and A380-800s, seeking compensation from Boeing to cover part of these costs.
Tim Clark told Travel Extra at the IATA congress in Dubai last June that Boeing has two problems to tackle on its 777X programme, firstly to get the plane certified and enter into commercial service and secondly to increase production from three aircraft a month in 2026 to five a month by 2028, in order to clear a backlog of 400 777X orders.
