Prima consegna del 777-9 rinviata al 2022.
Emirates: Boeing 777X to miss 2021 debut, deliveries pushed to 2022
The long-awaited Boeing 777X will make airlines wait a little longer, says major customer Emirates.
Boeing’s new 777X jet is likely to miss its planned debut next year, according to the aircraft’s top customer Emirates, which doesn’t expect to receive any planes before 2022.
Deliveries of the wide-body jet, which first flew in January, will probably be held up by Boeing’s shutdown at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, together with a lengthy certification process, said Emirates chief operating officer Adel Al Redha in an interview on Thursday.
Emirates is also considering whether to seek a swap of some of the 115 777Xs it has on order – representing more than a third of the total backlog – for the smaller 787 Dreamliner, which might be better matched to demand, he said. Accelerating deliveries from an earlier Dreamliner order is a “possibility,” he said.
“We will be discussing with Boeing in that regard, if we look what we can do with the 787,” Al Redha said. “We are in a fluid discussion and in the peak of re-examining all these kind of things. It does require re-examination, it does require re-thinking, it does require renegotiation.”
Boeing is looking at delaying the upgraded 777’s introduction as other buyers also resist taking delivery of such a large plane when they’re being compelled to shrink operations, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing confidential matters.
The company’s first new-jet introduction since the grounding of its 737 Max after two fatal crashes also faces increased scrutiny from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators.
“I don’t see that they will be able to deliver the aircraft in 2021,” Al Redha said. “We will engage with Boeing to get more visibility. I think 2022 is a safe assumption to make.”
Also read: Boeing 777X business class – here's what five top airlines are planning
Making progress
Boeing said it’s working closely with its customers to adapt to the evolving Covid-19 situation. The Chicago-based company also said that it would soon add a third aircraft to its flight-testing program.
“We continue to execute our robust test program for the 777-9, which began flight testing in January,” Boeing said in a statement, referring to the longest version of the 777X. “We remain pleased with the progress we are making and with the airplane.”
The timing of the 777X commercial debut has been at the heart of complex negotiations with Emirates, which has already converted some of its original order for the smaller and more versatile Dreamliner.
The first delivery for the 777X was originally set for this year, though the date was pushed back to 2021 following issues including delays to the plane’s General Electric turbines.
While Emirates’ 2013 order was instrumental in Boeing’s decision to go forward with the 777X, it isn’t clear if the airline or another of the launch group of customers would take the initial delivery.
Also read: Qatar Airways plans "exclusive" Boeing 777X first class suites
Cash source
By potentially accelerating its 787 deliveries, Emirates would help support a critical cash source for Boeing amid an uncertain market for wide-body aircraft. The planemaker has outlined plans to halve Dreamliner production as the Covid-19 pandemic spreads, citing fading demand for near-term deliveries.
Boeing will be eager to begin handovers of the 777X after the Max crisis deprived it of revenue from its best-selling program. But the twin-aisle model, which boasts bigger wings and new engines, is arriving at a time when the high-volume long-haul market it’s designed to serve may be depressed for years.
The 777-9 variant is longer than the 747 jumbo Boeing is winding down, and is the first twin-engine jet able to carry a similar number of people. It’s also the company’s priciest model, selling for US$442.2 million before customary discounts.
Sales, though, have stalled since an initial order flurry when the aircraft was unveiled at the 2013 Dubai Airshow, and anticipated orders from China haven’t materialized amid trade tensions.
For the U.S. planemaker, there’s a risk that additional order conversions and deferrals will leave it manufacturing the jet in such low quantities that 777X profitability would be hurt. Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways and Lufthansa are among customers that are restructuring their fleet plans.
Also read: Cathay Pacific eyes Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner as swap for 777X
Long-haul slump
Emirates, the world’s largest long-haul airline, has been hard hit by the unprecedented slump in travel caused by the coronavirus. It’s already had to rethink plans for the double-decker A380, a mainstay of its fleet, after a dearth of demand elsewhere led Airbus to decline to upgrade the jet and then to terminate the program early.
The Gulf carrier, also the biggest customer for the Airbus super-jumbo, plans to take the delivery of three A380s during the fiscal year ending in March, Al Redha said. While the delivery schedule for the last five planes remains unchanged, “if the need comes to re-visit, obviously we will do that.”
He said he expects 60% to 70% of the current A380 fleet to be back in the air by December. Load factor now exceeds 55% and demand for both economy and premium travelers has strengthened, he said. The airline plans to keep all 115 of the double-decker jets.
The Dubai-based carrier will roll out premium economy seats on its newest Airbus A380 aircraft slated to be delivered in November, Al Redha said. Some of the existing fleet will be retrofitted from economy to premium economy.
Also read: Emirates A380 premium economy is ready and "waiting to go"
SYNDICATED
This article was published under license from Bloomberg Media and the
original article can be viewed here
With the next-gen Boeing 777X way behind schedule, some airlines are now taking a second look at their business class designs.
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