Boeing is once again facing delays in the certification program of its widebody 777-9 aircraft, CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed at the Morgan Stanley Laguna conference held on September 11. He emphasized that the key issue is not technical but administrative in nature, as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has still not granted approval for a significant portion of the testing process.
Although Boeing still officially expects first 777-9 deliveries in 2026, Ortberg admitted that the certification plan is clearly not progressing as scheduled. He added that he has asked CFO Jay Malave to take a closer look at the consequences of the delay and develop a plan for the next steps.
Ortberg stressed that the aircraft and its GE9X engines are “performing very well” and that the problems are not performance-related, but rather tied to the FAA’s more cautious and detailed approach following the 737 MAX crisis. The testing procedure itself is divided into several phases (TIA – Type Inspection Authorization), with the FAA authorizing individual groups of tests only once it is fully convinced that the design meets all requirements.
The FAA declined to comment on the specific status of the 777-9 program, stating only that “safety will determine the timeline.”
Similar delays have also affected the last two variants of the 737 MAX, the -7 and -10 models, whose certification is also scheduled for 2026. In their case, the biggest challenge is the redesign of the engine anti-icing system, although Ortberg said Boeing has since made significant progress in resolving that issue.
In his closing remarks, Boeing’s chief underlined that the certification process must become more efficient, but without compromising safety: “I cannot imagine developing a new aircraft without a redefined process, because the current one is simply too slow.”
