2024-08-20 23:25:31
Boeing has to cancel the test flights for its 777X. A defective component is said to be the reason for the measure.
Boeing is once again facing difficulties: The aircraft manufacturer has suspended test flights of the 777X model, which has already been delayed for years, due to damage to the connection between the engine and the wing.
During a routine inspection, it was discovered that a component was “not behaving as intended,” the company said. Industry website “The Air Current” had previously reported that a connecting element between the engine and the wing of one of the 777-9 test aircraft had been damaged. The aircraft had previously completed a flight of over five hours from Hawaii.
Cracks in the component were found in other 777-9 aircraft in the test fleet, the reports said, citing informed sources. Boeing did not comment directly on these details, but emphasized that no further flights with the other test aircraft were planned in the near future anyway. The affected component is used exclusively in the 777-9.
The US aviation authority FAA has been informed of the situation. The 777X was presented by Boeing in 2013 as a successor model to the widely used 777 type – the aircraft was originally supposed to go into service in 2020.
Boeing recently postponed the date to 2025. The 777-9 is designed as a larger variant of the model. Boeing is also currently waiting for approval of new versions of its medium-haul aircraft, the 737 Max.