SEATTLE • Boeing successfully staged the first flight of the world's largest twin-engine jetliner last Saturday in a respite from the crisis over its smallest model, the grounded 737 MAX.
The 777X, a larger version of the 777 mini-jumbo, touched down at the historic Boeing Field outside Seattle at 2pm local time (6am yesterday Singapore time) after a debut that began almost four hours earlier at Boeing's revamped wide-body assembly lines north of the city.
The decision to take advantage of a gap in the clouds to start the months of testing needed before the jet can carry passengers came after two attempts had to be postponed due to high winds.
Mr Stan Deal, chief executive of Boeing's commercial airplane unit, said: "It's a proud day for us."
As the 77m-long aircraft - the longest commercial jet by a whisker - drew to a halt before waiting VIPs, rows of undelivered 737 MAX stood idle nearby in a reminder of the crisis that has engulfed Boeing since it was grounded last year.
"It made all of our employees proud one more time of who we are and what we get to do, by flying a brand-new airplane that is going to change the world one more time," Mr Deal said.
The aircraft is the larger of two versions planned by Boeing and will officially be called the 777-9, but is better known under its development code name, 777X.
Hallmarks include folding wingtips - designed to allow its carbon wings to fit the same parking bays as earlier models - and the world's largest commercial engines from General Electric, wide enough to swallow a 737 MAX fuselage.
However, Boeing's new 406-seater must overcome hurdles from regulators and buyers.
The 777X will be the first major aircraft to be certified since the role of software flaws in two fatal 737 MAX crashes prompted accusations of cosy relations between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA has pledged to ensure the 777X review is conducted rigorously, while launch customer Emirates wants the plane to be put through "hell on earth" during testing to ensure it is safe and meets performance expectations.
Boeing's chief test pilot Craig Bomben, who co-piloted last Saturday's sortie, said it would work closely with regulators.
"We are going to follow the normal processes we always follow and work with the FAA and they are going to work hand in hand with us," he said. "We took the time to get the airplane ready for flight test, so I think we are going to march through flight tests successfully and quickly and get it certified to the FAA standards."
The 777X is expected to enter service next year, a year later than originally scheduled because of development snags. It will compete with the Airbus A350-1000, which seats about 360 passengers. Big twin jets are steadily displacing the older four-engine Boeing 747 and soon-to-be-axed Airbus A380.
Yet experts cite worries about wide-body demand due to overcapacity and economic weakness. Airlines cancelled more than twice as many big jets as they ordered last year, according to Mr Rob Morris, consultancy chief at UK-based Ascend by Cirium.
While Boeing says it has sold 309 777X - worth US$442 million (S$597 million) each at list prices - many in the industry have questioned its dependence on Middle East carriers, which are scaling back orders.
Said Mr Aengus Kelly, chief executive of leasing giant AerCap: "Longer term, they'll need more than those guys for that airplane. They'll need the big network carriers to find routes that it works on."
REUTERS
