Boeing has announced the first international venue to feature the 777X wide-body twinjet will be the Dubai Airshow 2021.
A 777-9 prototype will be a feature in the flying program as well as part of the static display, alongside the reduced-emissions Etihad 787-10, the Alaska Airlines 737-9 ecoDemonstrator, the 737 MAX 9 and a host of other aircraft.
Boeing 777X, the new generation of the 777 family, was launched in 2013, gathering more than 300 orders during the years that followed. After numerous problems and delays, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight in January 2020.
Comprising three variants, the 777-8, the 777-9 and the 777-10, the 777X family is intended to replace earlier models of the 777, as well as compete with Airbus wide-body jets, such as the A350.
Able to accommodate 450 passengers, the 777-10 is touted to become the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world, earning it the nickname ‘mini-jumbo’. It will be serving as a partial replacement for the Boeing 747, as well as being a more efficient alternative to the Airbus A380.
However, despite its claimed efficiency and innovation, development of the aircraft has generated a fair share of controversy, mostly associated with delays.
Initially intended to enter the market in 2019, the 777X encountered many obstacles, including the 737 MAX crisis, which impacted Boeing’s financial situation and slowed down development of the new jet.
In 2021 alone, the 777X has raised safety concerns with the US Federal Aviation Administration, which said the certification of the jet may be pushed back as far as 2024.
Numerous airlines threatened to shrink or cancel their orders for the 777X. Most notably, Emirates, which initially ordered 150 aircraft, has threatened to refuse the deliveries unless Boeing complies with contractual obligations.
In early November 2021, Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the airline is going to discuss the order with Boeing at the Dubai Airshow.
