Aircraft
Boeing Puts Positive Spin on 777X Delay
Delay of first delivery of the 777-9 until 2025 reflects a position of “strength, not weakness,” according to Boeing CEO David Calhoun.
A Boeing 777-9 test article performs a flying display during the 2021 Dubai Airshow. (Photo: David McIntosh)
A Boeing 777-9 test article performs a flying display during the 2021 Dubai Airshow. (Photo: David McIntosh)

Boeing CEO David Calhoun on Wednesday characterized the most recent setback suffered by the 777X program resulting in a delay of first delivery of the 777-9 until 2025 as a reflection of the company’s “position of strength, not weakness.” Speaking during the company’s first-quarter earnings call, Calhoun explained that the delay and pause of 777-9 production through 2022—for which it expects to incur additional costs totaling $1.5 billion—did not reflect any deficiency in the company’s engineering organization or any shortfall in engineers, but rather from a reassessment of time the company would need to meet the FAA’s stricter certification requirements.