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Emirates rejects first 10 Boeing 777-9s
Emirates will reject the first 10 Boeing 777-9s, calling upgrades too costly, but still expects the current version from Q2 2027.
Image: ITzine
Emirates will not accept the first 10 Boeing 777-9s, despite remaining one of the program’s largest customers. CEO Tim Clark said updating the early aircraft to the current standard would be prohibitively expensive, leaving Boeing apparently looking for another buyer.
The aircraft were built between 2019 and 2021 and are expected to be delivered in 2027. By then, Clark said, they will have aged so much relative to the latest 777-9 configuration that converting them would not make financial sense.
“They’re almost scrap metal.”
Clark also joked that Boeing might sell the aircraft for only $10 million each. In another reference, he invoked Heinz, suggesting the first 777Xs would be suitable only for making cans for baked beans.
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Why Emirates rejected the first 777-9s
The first 777X deliveries were originally promised for April 2020, but the schedule slipped repeatedly as the aircraft’s design evolved. That has left the early jets in an unusual position: technically new, but no longer matching the current production version.
Boeing has acknowledged that bringing these aircraft up to date could cost billions of dollars. For Emirates, the differences are too significant to justify spending that money on the early airframes.
The airline has not abandoned the 777X program. Clark said the current version of the 777-9 has a higher maximum takeoff weight and more powerful engines—features Emirates is waiting for. The carrier expects to receive its first aircraft in the active configuration in the second quarter of 2027.
Boeing still intends for the 777X to address demand for large, long-haul aircraft, competing both with other Boeing models and with Airbus. In September, one of the 777X prototypes is scheduled to fly to Dubai for hot-weather testing. The trials will provide a closer look at whether the latest configuration is ready for the conditions in which Emirates typically evaluates aircraft.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via ITzine
