Talks between Emirates and Boeing regarding the 777X appear to have ended in agreement.
The flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates wants the jet to be certified by 2023, with Boeing agreeing to the timeframe.
Emirates has been eager to discuss the delays with Boeing for some time, previously hinting that a “grown up” conversation with the planemaker needed to take place.
The latest discussion took place at the 2021 Dubai Airshow, where a prototype of the 777X was one of the the main attractions at the event.
“We are not moving away from that airplane at all; it is just a question of when we are going to get it,” Tim Clark, president of Emirates, told Reuters at the air show.
According to Clark, the airline hopes that aircraft certification problems will be sorted by July 2023, and the manufacturer has agreed to this timeline.
Clark also said that the airline hopes to gain more clarity about the jet’s progress during the next “nine months or a year” as Boeing prepares for certification.
In April 2021, Clark said that Emirates required more “visibility” from Boeing in regards to both the performance and the delivery timeline of the 777X. Shortly after, in May 2021, Emirates threatened to refuse delivery of the jet if Boeing failed to meet its contractual obligations.
The 777X, which is the latest variant of Boeing’s wide-body long-range twinjet, has been several years behind schedule and has encountered numerous problems in its development. Recently, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the aircraft is not ready to be certified and cited various safety concerns.
Due to these delays, many airlines have threatened to reduce or cancel their initial orders for the 777X.
Emirates, the model’s largest customer, has reduced its original order of 150 aircraft to just 115, and has been hinting at its intention to swap the remaining 777Xs for Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
