Company Working To Resolve Issues With The GE9X Engines, Carbon-Composite Wings

The entry into service of the Boeing 777X may be delayed beyond its projected June, 2020 date due to issues with the GE9X engine and the airplanes carbon-composite wings, according to industry sources.

Reuters reports that Boeing CFO Greg Smith said at a recent conference that while the 2020 EOS is still "the current assumption" there are still some challenges with the GE engine, which that company is working through "so we are having to do some re-testing."

There are two 777X flight test aircraft that are in integrated system testing on the ground, and the next two flight test aircraft are in final assembly, according to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. The first flight of the airplane had been planned for later this month, but that date may slip as well. Airline sources at an industry meeting in Seoul, South Korea this week said that the issues may delay the first delivery of the 777X to a customer, which is now more likely to be completed late in 2020, and could be a far out as sometime in 2021.

GE is flight testing the engine after a three-month delay necessitated by a problem with its compressor. The GE9X engine is the largest of its type to be developed. The company did not respond to a request for a comment from Reuters.

The 777X would be the largest twin-engine airliner flying. But industry analysts say that demand for widebody jets has been falling due to oversupply, concerns about the economy and trade disputes.

(Images from file)

FMI: Source report