Boeing has suspended flight tests of its new 777X jumbo jet after a part connecting the engine to the body of the aircraft failed, a new problem for the American planemaker after a series of malfunctions on its planes.
“During a maintenance operation, we identified that a component had not behaved as expected”the aircraft manufacturer explained to Agence France-Presse on Tuesday August 20, confirming information from the specialist website The Air Current.
Boeing teams are currently studying this element “and will resume test flights when they are ready”according to the company. The incriminated part, which Boeing says will be replaced, concerns the 777-9 model and connects the engine to the structure of the plane.
The three other 777-9s that are being used for testing have been undergoing inspections since the incident, according to the planemaker.
Aimed at being the world’s largest operational twin-engine jet
The 777X wide-body aircraft program, presented in November 2013, is the latest addition to the 777 family. It exists in three versions, the 777-8, 777-9 and 777-8 freighter. It has already sold more than 500 units, but it has not yet entered commercial operation. This twin-aisle aircraft is intended to be the largest operational twin-engine jet in the world.
The 777X was originally scheduled to enter service in 2020, but due to problems during the certification process, it has now been pushed back to 2025. It has yet to receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US aviation regulator.
After conducting numerous test flights, Boeing was granted permission to pilot tests of the 777-9 with FAA representatives on board in July, an important step.
“Much” to be done to restore confidence
Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, 64, took over on August 8 from Dave Calhoun, who had been in the job since early 2020 and whose departure was announced in late March after a series of quality problems in production. Mr. Ortberg acknowledged that there were ” a lot “ to do to restore confidence in the aircraft manufacturer, while remaining optimistic about the future.
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He chose to settle in Seattle (North-West), the birthplace of Boeing, where the assembly lines for the 737 and the 777 are located in particular – “a step in the right direction”according to the IAM-District 751 union, which represents more than 30,000 employees in the region.
In the second quarter, the planemaker reported a net loss of $1.44 billion, wider than analysts had expected, due to lower deliveries in its commercial aircraft division and losses on contracts in its defense division. Since then, however, the company has been able to congratulate itself on a rebound in its orders.
Boeing announced in July that it had booked 72 orders (gross and net), including 57 of its flagship 737 MAX, following the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom. Israeli airline El Al has finalized an order for up to 31 737 MAX aircraft, Boeing revealed Thursday.
The aircraft manufacturer has significantly reduced its production rate following an in-flight incident on January 5, 2024 on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, when a door plug – a cover blocking a redundant emergency exit – came loose, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage and causing several minor injuries.
The FAA has, among other things, frozen production of the 737 at the end of 2023 (38 per month).
On Monday, the FAA also announced that pilot seats on hundreds of Boeing 787s would have to be inspected, following an incident in March on a flight by Chilean airline Latam, during which the plane suddenly lost altitude, injuring about 50 passengers.