Boeing's 777x jet facing further delays - report

US aviation giant Boeing Co’s long-awaited 777X jet is facing further delays, it was reported on Friday.

According to Bloomberg, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the widebody plane is now not slated to fly commercially until early 2027.

It has previously been expected to start commercial long-haul flights in 2026, but Deutsche Lufthansa – the jet’s launch customer – has not included it in its fleet plans until 2027.

Boeing, which declined to comment on the report, is due to publish third-quarter numbers at the end of the month,

Analysts now expect the results to including a charge relating to the 777X delay of between $1bn and $4bn, Reuters noted.

Boeing has already taken on more than $10bn in charges related to the 777X programme. First launched in 2013, the plane was originally slated delivery around 2020.

Last month, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg – who has been in the role for just over a year – acknowledged that the company was behind schedule in certifying the jet, with a “mountain of work” yet to be done.

However, he said no new technical problems had been identified, and did not indicate any delays to first deliver.

Boeing has endured a torrid period recently. At the start of 2024, a door panel blew off one of its 737 Max jets on a passenger flight. In response, regulators ordered production to slow while quality issues were addressed, hurting cash flow.

It was also hit by a lengthy strike, curtailing production further, and announced a string of job cuts.

As a result, Boeing slumped to its second-largest annual net loss in 2024, of $11.8bn, on revenues of $66.5bn. Negative free cash flow was $14.3bn.

As at 1100 BST, shares in Boeing were unchanged in pre-market trading.