Boeing's long-delayed B777X is now expected to enter commercial service in early 2027, not next year, people familiar with the matter have told Bloomberg, marking another potential setback for the OEM that could trigger billions of dollars in accounting charges.
The manufacturer told ch-aviation that it is unable to comment due to the pre-earnings quiet period. The company will release its financial results for the third quarter of 2025 on October 29, when Boeing executives are expected to discuss the extent and cost of the latest production delay of the aircraft.
Bloomberg's sources claimed that Lufthansa parent Lufthansa Group, the B777X launch customer, is adjusting its fleet plans to account for the delay, while Emirates, the largest customer, is also reassessing its timeline. ch-aviation has contacted both airlines for comment.
Analysts told Bloomberg that they estimate the non-cash accounting charge resulting from the delay could be between USD2.5 billion and USD4 billion.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told a Morgan Stanley conference last month that while certification of the B777X is falling behind schedule, he still expected it to happen in 2026 and not slip to 2027. He acknowledged that even a "minor schedule delay" would have a financial impact, and he attributed the delay to extensive certification work rather than new technical problems.
"As you know, even a minor schedule delay on the B777 program has a pretty big financial impact because we’re in a reach-forward loss situation," he said.
This means it will not recoup development costs across the first 500 aircraft built, Bloomberg estimated.
The B777X has accumulated more than USD11 billion in overruns, with intensified Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scrutiny following the B737 MAX crashes. Already six years behind schedule, the B777X is critical to Boeing’s strategy in the long-haul market against Airbus.
