Boeing 777X, the newest airliner-in-the-making from the U.S. manufacturer, resumed certification test campaign by taking off for a flight BOE1 in Seattle on April 23, 2020.
The test aircraft, carrying registration number N779XW, took off at 20:47 UTC in Seattle Boeing Field (BFI). Much like the recertification of the Boeing 737 MAX, the test campaign of the 777X was interrupted in early April 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
While some of Boeing employees were able to continue working, the flight campaign required a physical presence that conflicted with the measures taken by the manufacturer to contain the coronavirus epidemic.
A successor of aging Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER models, once in service the 777X features huge folding wings (the first of the kind on commercial passenger aircraft) and engines as wide as the body of a McDonnell Douglas MD-90. Once in service, the wide-body is going to be the first twin-engine jet to be able to carry more than 400 passengers.
The first model introduced is going to be the 777-9, seating 400 to 425 passengers in a standard configuration, flying up to 7,600 nautical miles (14,075 km), followed by 777-8.
The flight test campaign finally began on January 25, 2020, when the Boeing 777X embarked on its maiden flight.
The first of four dedicated 777X-9 flight test aircraft, the WH001, took off from Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, Washington, United States. After a three hour, 51-minute flight over Washington state, it successfully landed at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
Boeing expects to deliver the first 777X in early 2021.
