1. Here you will find the latest information about the Lufthansa Boeing 777-9. The wingtips on the #777X are cool, but did you know that they also increase the wingspan which enhances the aerody t.co/horRpreZvm.
2. The move would be a blow to Boeing, which signed up Lufthansa as a launch customer for the 777X. The Chicago-based company has a backlog for the model worth about $125 billion at list prices, with.

On Thursday, Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board & CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, announced at an annual press conference that Lufthansa will base the first new Boeing 777-9 aircraft in Frankfurt. The Boeing 777-9 will replace Lufthansa’s aging Boeing 747-400 fleet. Lufthansa has ordered 20 of the new jets with the first delivery due in the second half of 2020. In November 2017 Lufthansa unveiled their new Business Class product, which will be introduced in the Boeing 777-9.

Lufthansa Group is currently in negotiations with both Boeing and Airbus about further orders for long-haul aircraft. Lufthansa has already 20 Boeing 777-9s on order, the first seven of which will be delivered in late 2020, and the airline holds options for 14 further 777-9s. “These options are also part of our negotiations”, explains Spohr.

Spohr also announced that two additional Airbus A380-800s will be moved in Munich as of summer 2020. Lufthansa is currently using five Airbus A380-800s from their southern Germany hub, connecting Munich with Miami, Hong Kong and San Francisco during the winter season and Beijing, Hong Kong and Los Angeles during the summer season.

On Wednesday, the Lufthansa Group announced an order 40 more long-haul aircraft, increasing the order book to 72 long-haul planes.

The Boeing 777-9 is the larger version in the new 777X family. It’s the newest family of twin-aisle airplanes that builds on the passenger-preferred and market-leading Boeing 777 and 787 families. The Boeing 777-9 has a length of 77 m (252 ft) and an extended wingspan of 72 m (236 ft). On the ground, the wings can be folded upwards to reduce the wingspan to only 65 m (213 ft). The range of the new aircraft is given to 14,075 km (7,600 nm) and the usual seat configuration in a two-class layout allows 400 to 425 seats according to Boeing.

Lufthansa will configure its 777-9 in a three-class layout with a Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class. According to Lufthansa, the new Business Class will feature between 30 and 45 seats. It has not yet published how many seats they will use in the other two classes.

Featured image by Boeing/Lufthansa

Today, Boeing has confirmed that it won’t be delivering its first 777-9 aircraft until late 2023. The first delivery was initially planned to have taken place last year. However, the program has faced multiple delays along the way.

Boeing has delayed the first 777X deliveries until late 2023. Photo: Getty Images

The first deliveries of the Boeing 777X had been planned to take place in 2020, although this didn’t happen. Last year Boeing confirmed that the aircraft wouldn’t be delivered until 2022. However, the program has now slipped again until late 2023. Recently Emirates’ President Tim Clark mentioned that his first 777X delivery could slip to 2024.

Boeing 777x Lufthansa

Certification requirements delaying delivery

Boeing is now expecting to deliver its first 777X aircraft in late 2023. Given how far out this is, the American manufacturer isn’t specifying a more detailed time frame than this. Boeing pointed to several factors that led to its decision to delay the project.

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Firstly, Boeing cited “an updated assessment of certification requirements based on ongoing communication with civil aviation authorities” as a reason for the delay. However, they also mentioned, “an updated assessment of market demand based on continued dialogue with customers, resulting adjustments to production rates and the program accounting quantity.”

Lufthansa was due to be the launch customer of the 777X last year. Photo: Lufthansa

Finally, Boeing also mentioned “increased change incorporation costs, and associated customer and supply chain impacts.”

How will this impact customers

The delay will clearly impact customers who are expecting the aircraft. However, it could actually be a blessing in disguise for many, given the current circumstances. As Boeing mentioned, “discussions with its customers with respect to aircraft delivery timing” had impacted its timeline. Its major customers are likely to be onboard with the delay.

German flag carrier Lufthansa had been due to take the first of the 777-9 aircraft. Lufthansa has frequently revealed that it will need to make significant fleet adjustments to deal with the current crisis’s fallout. This has seen the airline sending many long-haul aircraft to long-term storage. Some of these may never return. As the airline isn’t using the aircraft it already has, it has no immediate need for new long-haul aircraft. Simple Flying has contacted Lufthansa for comment.

Boeing has said that 777/777X production will continue at a pace of two a month. Photo: Boeing

Emirates was also due to be one of the first airlines to take delivery of the 777X. It had previously told how it expected its first aircraft in 2023 or even 2024, suggesting that they were in on Boeing’s discussions.

British Airways was expected to take its first 777X in 2022. The delay will mean that British Airways won’t get its aircraft as planned, and maybe not until 2024. However, when contacted by Simple Flying, an IAG spokesperson declined to comment on the delay.

What do you make of the delay to the 777X program? When will the first 777X be delivered? Let us know what you think and why in the comments.

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Article Source simpleflying.com