The long awaited Boeing new generation triple-seven, the 777X, is about to debut, the manufacturer has announced.
Boeing revealed the roll out of its first the first 777-9X will take place at their Everett facility in Seattle on March 13, 2019. The company shared the news on Twitter:
Our very first #777X flight test airplane will officially debut to the world on March 13th! Stay tuned to learn how you can watch it live. Check out the journey so far here: https://t.co/7twGuVZU1i pic.twitter.com/MyUnA1Thcd
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) March 4, 2019
The flight tests for the 400-seat aircraft should begin later in the year, with the first delivery to Emirates expected for 2020. The longer range -8 variant will have to wait. Both aircraft are powered by the massive General Electric GE9X engines, which were fitted on the first plane in January 2019.
The Boeing 777X is expected to be “the largest and most-efficient twin-engine jet in the world,” according to the manufacturer, which also promises airlines a 12% lower fuel consumption and a 10% lower operating costs than “competing airplanes”.
In late February 28, 2019, Boeing announced new customer for the upcommer aircraft. IAG, the parent company of British Airways, ordered 42 777Xs (18 orders and 24 options), worth $18.6 at list prices. The deal boosted 777X orderbook to 358 orders and commitments from eight customers.