Boeing has announced that Lufthansa will be the first airline to receive the Boeing 777-9, part of the Boeing 777X program. This announcement was made during a recent earnings conference and reported by Aerospace Global News. The delivery, initially planned for early 2025, is now expected in summer 2026 due to delays related to certification issues.
Robert Kelly Ortberg, CEO of Boeing, confirmed that despite setbacks, the company remains on track for a 2026 delivery. “So, actually, the first delivery – 777X delivery is also to Lufthansa,” Ortberg stated. He acknowledged ongoing challenges with seating certifications but expressed confidence in resolving these issues.
Lufthansa’s CEO Jens Ritter noted that while initial projections were for an early 2025 delivery, they have been adjusted to reflect a more realistic timeline of summer 2026. The airline anticipates receiving 27 of the latest 777 variants and is among the launch customers for this aircraft model.
Flight testing for the Boeing 777X resumed after a five-month hiatus caused by a thrust link failure detected during maintenance checks. This issue affected multiple test planes and led to questions about meeting certification deadlines. Ortberg assured investors that Boeing is addressing these problems effectively.
Boeing faces financial challenges as well. The company’s latest earnings report revealed a $3.8 billion loss in Q4 due to a machinists’ strike and ongoing aircraft program issues. Since two fatal MAX plane crashes in 2019, Boeing has lost over $35 billion, with an $11.8 billion loss recorded in 2024 alone.
Despite these hurdles, demand for the Boeing 777X remains strong with airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways expressing interest alongside Lufthansa. Currently, there are unfilled orders from fourteen customers totaling 481 units.
