On the first day of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Switzerland, Boeing Business Jets announced three firm orders and an option for four BBJ aircraft. The option is for BBJ 777X, which is believed to be the first potential sale of this corporate version to a customer. Boeing gets option for BBJ 777X at EBACE.
Boeing launched the BBJ 777X in December 2018 at the MEBAA show in Dubai, when it unveiled corporate versions of the 777-8 and 777-9. Since then, the development and certification of the program have run into a myriad of issues. Certification of the 777-9 has been delayed until 2025, with the 777-8F launched in January 2022 to be the next version. Boeing has yet to confirm if and when it will launch the 777-8, which had secured orders from Emirates and Qatar Airways.
The BBJ 777X is based on the 777-9. It comes with a customized, luxurious VIP interior, for which Greenpoint Interiors, Jet Aviation, and Unique Aircraft Design were announced as the leading designers. The aircraft has a range of 11.025 nautical miles/20.418 kilometers.
Lufthansa Technik BBJ 777-9
In a separate media release, Lufthansa Technik shared its view on how its version of the BBJ 777-9 could look like. It pre-launched the VIP cabin design for the type at EBACE, which includes a VVIP section at the front of the cabin with an expandable private bedroom. There is also room for a spacious office and reception area that divides the private section from the remaining areas of the aircraft. The interior seems to have been designed with the taste of Middle East customers in mind.Â
This is what Lufthansa Technik has designed for its version of the Boeing BBJ 777-9. (Lufthansa Technik)
BBJ MAX 7
Firm orders were announced at EBACE for two BBJ 787-8s and BBJ 737-7s but the identity of the customers hasn’t been disclosed. The 737-7 is, of course, based on the MAX 7 and was launched in 2016 as the third iteration of the BBJ MAX after the -8 and -9. Like the 777X, the program’s schedule has slipped following the fatal MAX incidents and other delays. Boeing hopes to certify the commercial MAX 7 sometime in the coming months. The BBJ MAX 7 has a range of 6.600nm/12.200 km.
Boeing’s unfilled orders list doesn’t specify the number of orders for the BBJ family, except for saying that it has sold over 260 BBJs since Boeing Business Jets was founded in 1996.
