Long-Delayed Boeing 777X Gets First Customer In Taiwan: Up To 23 Planes

Boeing has announced a deal with China Airlines for ten Boeing 777-9 passenger planes and four 777-8 freighters. The carrier has options on five more 777-9s passenger planes and four 777-8 freighters. It is the first airline in Taiwan to order variants of Boeing’s widebody 777X family.

“As a long-time operator of the 777-300ER and 777 Freighter, we are excited to welcome Boeing’s newest 777X family into our world-class fleet,” said Kao Shing-Hwang, chairman of China Airlines. “The advanced technology and features of the 777-9 will provide our customers with the best-in-class flying experience, while the 777-8 Freighter’s range and fuel efficiency will enable us to maintain a leadership position in air cargo. This is a significant investment toward our future, and we will rely on the new 777X family to help realize our long-term sustainability goals.”

Boeing touts the 777-9 as being more environmentally friendly, with 20% more fuel efficiency and lower emissions than previous twin-engine widebody planes. The manufacturer also claims to offer “the lowest operating cost per seat of any airplane.”

With a range of 7,295 nautical miles, and unique folding wings which give the large aircraft access to more airports than the Airbus A380, Boeing’s 777X will allow airlines to introduce more long-haul destinations to their route network.

“Operating the 777-9 and 777-8 Freighter will allow China Airlines to add capacity and position the airline for further growth going forward,” said Dan Schull, Boeing vice president of Commercial Sales, Northeast Asia.

China Airlines 777-9 Will Seat 426 Passengers In Two-Classes

According to Boeing’s announcement, China Airlines will configure its 777-9s to seat 426 passengers in a two-class configuration. The airline currently operates 10 Boeing 777-300ERs in a three-class configuration with 40 business class seats, 62 premium economy seats and 256 economy class seats.

China Airlines’ cargo division operates nine Boeing 777 freighters and eight Boeing 747-400 freighters. The new 777-8 freighter offers the same cargo capacity as the 747 but with 30% greater fuel efficiency, lower emissions, and up to 60% reduced noise footprint.

A Popular Aircraft, Despite Long Delays

Boeing has received orders for over 520 777X aircraft, but the FAA still needs to certify the type. Prolonged delays in certification, including the grounding of the test fleet last year, have raised concerns with customers. Emirates, which is the largest customer with 35 777-8s and 170 777-9s on order, first expected delivery to begin in 2020. It has since revised that to the second quarter of 2027.

Boeing is working to get the program back on track. Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s CEO, has said that the 777-9’s certification should be completed by the end of this year or early next year.

“We’re going through the flight test program, and we’re planning to get the certification done towards the end of this year or early next year so we can start the delivery,” Ortberg said during the Barclays Bank investor conference in February. “The challenge is we’ve got to get through the certification here on the Dash 9 to start delivering these things to our customers.”