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In a fresh setback for Boeing, the planemaker has had to pause testing of its new 777X aircraft due to technical issues.
The 777X fleet, slated to be the world’s largest twin-engine wide-body when it begins operations, has been grounded after a key component – said to be a structural component between the engine and the airframe – was found to be faulty.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had only cleared the 777X for test flights several weeks before the issue was found during inspections in Hawaii.
“During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed,” a Boeing spokesperson told media in a statement.
“Our team is replacing the part and capturing any leanings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready.”
At present, no Australian airlines have ordered the 777X, with Qantas opting to renew its fleet with more 787-9s as well as Airbus A350s, and Virgin Australia focusing on the 737 MAX narrow-body; however, major international carriers that fly into Australia, including Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines, all have the 777X on their order books.
The fault is nonetheless another headache for Boeing, which has been battling a string of bad press over the safety of its aircraft since a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in January, causing the FAA to throttle 737 MAX production.
The planemaker last month also pled guilty to felony charges over the safety failures of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft in what crash victims’ families criticised as a “sweetheart deal”.
Virgin, the only Australian carrier operating the 737 MAX family following the collapse of Bonza, has been impacted by the ongoing troubles at Boeing; currently Virgin operates seven MAX 8s with an eighth undergoing testing in the US and six more on order, expected from early 2025.
Virgin’s 25 MAX 10s – which still have not received regulatory approval in the US – will not arrive until 2026 at the earliest.
Boeing this month appointed engineer Robert K. “Kelly” Ortberg, who has over 35 years of aerospace experience, to replace Dave Calhoun after the latter announced his exit in March.
The planemaker chalked up a loss in the second quarter of calendar year 2024, despite US$16.9 billion in revenue. Its commercial airplanes division lost US$715 million for the quarter and defence, space and security lost $913 million, while global services made an $870 million profit.
