Boeing appears to have confirmed that German flag carrier Lufthansa will be the 777-9 launch customer during its latest earnings conference call.
While discussing plans for the Boeing 777-9 certification, the company CEO Kelly Ortberg relayed issues over “seat challenges” specifically for Lufthansa aircraft.
“So, actually, the first delivery – 777X delivery is also to Lufthansa,” Ortberg told those joining the earnings call on January 28, 2025.
It was widely expected that either Lufthansa or Dubai-based Emirates would take delivery of the first Boeing 777-9, which forms part of the 777X program alongside the smaller 777-8.
Boeing recently restarted 777X test flights after a five-month delay, resulting from the discovery of a problem with thrust links during maintenance checks.
The thrust link issue was initially found on Boeing’s 777-9 test aircraft after a routine flight, but the issue was subsequently found on two other test planes.
During the earnings call, Brian West, Boeing’s CFO, said: “Flight testing recently resumed, and we still expect first delivery in 2026, and we’ll continue to follow the lead of the FAA as we move through certification.”
According to Ortberg, the Lufthansa 787 remains a challenge due to the seating configurations and the monuments that go around the seats.
“We’re still challenged in getting through cert on some new type seats on 787. We got a plan on that. It’s really a customer by-customer basis,” said Ortberg.
Referring to the Lufthansa 777-9, Ortberg said the aircraft had an even “more complex interior, but that’s baked into our overall certification program for the aircraft,” so the company has time to manage this.
Lufthansa’s new Allegris interior product will be fitted on more than 80 brand-new aircraft, including Boeing 787-9s, Airbus A350s and Boeing 777-9s.
