Boeing has provided various updates on different occasions on the 777X program at Dubai Airshow. The main message the airframer wanted to share was that the type is on schedule for certification and entry into service in late 2023, but that’s not the full picture. A few major details are still being worked on. Boeing 777X on schedule but still work in progress. 777-9 test aircraft WH001 made its first appearance at an airshow in Dubai and is generating the most attention. AirInsight toured the aircraft inside on the opening day of the show. As the first of four -9 test aircraft, she is mainly used for stability control and airworthiness testing. “The first aircraft accumulates the most hours in the test program and we are still in that phase. As we later in the test program, each aircraft is configured for particular defines of testing. The interior configured aircraft will pick up more work as it will get its interior certification”, said Tom Sanderson, Director of Product Marketing. Test aircraft 001 has only a few seats in the cabin, which is full of engineering systems. (Richard Schuurman) 001 is full of working stations, where up to sixteen engineers can sit during each test flight to check all the systems and sensors. In the forward section of the cabin, there are four rows with four seats each, plus another two rows more at the back. There are also stations and seats scattered around the cabin near the windows. At the back, there are water tanks to trim the center of gravity during various test sequences. The sidewalls and ceiling are mostly open, allowing you to see the pipes, lines, and insulation. Flight testing is now halfway through the program Boeing has now done some 1.700 flight hours on the 777X program or over 600 flights, but it expects to rack up 3.500 flight hours until the end of 2023. That’s the same number the original 777 and 787 did, but following scheduled and unscheduled delays, the 777X test schedule will take 44 months until completion. That’s up from ten months for the 777 and twenty on the 787. So far, reliability has been “much better than we have seen in the past”, said Mike Fleming, Senior Vice President for the MAX return to service and commercial customer support. During a test flight, there are between eight and sixteen engineers onboard the 777-9. (Richard Schuurman) One of the reasons that the 777X needs more time is that the program has come under scrutiny from the FAA, EASA, and other regulators. After the two MAX accidents revealed how Boeing had been able to conceal the critical MCAS system from regulatory oversight, the regulators took a new approach to judge Boeing and its product. The 777X has been a ‘victim’ of that as well, resulting in the regulators requesting Boeing to make changes to various systems on the aircraft, although Fleming denied that there is a direct relation to the MAX saga. One of the changes is done to the Flight Control System (FCS), with both hardware and software updates. Other ones are the electric control actuators and power “We are constantly making some changes. The FCS architecture has got a redesign to put in more dissimilarity in the system, so you aren’t susceptible to issues. Like the hydraulics systems, we make sure there is independence and redundancy”, said Fleming. The Flight Control System is still being worked on after regulators requested changes to make it more redundant. (Richard Schuurman) The FCS changes are still being developed, “it is an ongoing issue”, he added. The effect of this is that the 777X program hasn’t entered the Type Inspection Authorization phase yet that will eventually lead to certification, although Tom Sanderson stressed that certification is an ongoing process that starts at the design phase and has numerous steps. Whereas Boeing only said it hopes to get certification by the end of 2023, Emirates CEO Sir Tim Clark told reporters that Boeing targets July 2023. The focus is now fully on the 777-9 as the first member of the 777X family. That one needs to be out of the shop first, although customers like Emirates complain they have no visibility whatsoever when that will be except somewhere in late 2023. Mike Fleming denied that customers are unaware of the program's status. “We discuss with our customers every single day, every single week, we talk to them all the time. We try to be as transparent as we can be, but we can’t say when the aircraft will be certified as this is up entirely to the regulators. Can we give them absolute certainty? No, but we can give them a range, a target.” Since 2019, Boeing has paused developing the smaller 777-8, again to the annoyment of Emirates which wants the longer range-version. Tom Sanderson said that the -8 definitely will be offered, but that Boeing is still working on the specifications to position it best between the 787-10 and the 777-9. “Our role is to make sure that we are giving the customer the option to address whatever needs they have in their fleets and then it's for them to figure out what’s the best way to configure that with their fleet.” The changing perspective of very long-haul travel post-Covid also plays a role in this. Still fine-tuning the freighter Boeing is also more fine-tuning on the design of the 777X freighter, which was expected to be launched at Dubai Airshow. Ahead of the event, sales chief Ihssane Mounir said that Boeing isn't ready to launch it yet. Andersson confirmed that Boeing is looking at the best option for the freighter: will it be a 777-8 or more a 777-9? Tom Sanderson: “The challenge with freighters is that you always balance payload against volume. In the particularly high-weight space in long-haul cargo, weight is favored, meaning body length is less sensitive because you will typically hit the weight limit first. In the e-commerce space of the low-density, cargo volume is prior. So somewhere in between is the reasonable assumption, but until we actually launch the freighter it is still open.”
