Lufthansa Anticipates Boeing 777-9 Delivery Delay Until Mid-2026, Says CEO Jens Ritter

Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter has announced that the airline now expects the delivery of its first Boeing 777-9 aircraft to be delayed until at least the summer of 2026. This adjustment comes as the latest in a series of setbacks for the model’s entry into service.

During a recent press conference, Ritter expressed doubts about the previously scheduled 2025 delivery, citing delays in the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification process. “We no longer believe that we will receive the first aircraft in 2025,” he stated, highlighting the absence of EASA certification on the current agenda as a significant factor in this revised timeline.

Despite Lufthansa’s skepticism, Boeing continues to assert that the first delivery of the Boeing 777-9 will occur in 2025. However, the aircraft manufacturer has yet to secure the Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), essential for commencing flight testing, which was expected by April 2024 to meet the 2025 delivery target.

Lufthansa’s management plans to meet with Boeing on May 9 to discuss further details and progress of the program. The airline has placed firm orders for twenty Boeing 777-9s and seven Boeing 777-8Fs, anticipating to be among the first to operate the new aircraft type, alongside Emirates.

Boeing, in its first-quarter 2024 financial report, stated, “We are following the lead of the FAA as we work through the certification process, including obtaining FAA approval to begin certification flight testing. We expect the first delivery of the Boeing 777-9 to occur in 2025 and the Boeing 777-8F to occur in 2027. First delivery of the Boeing 777-8 passenger aircraft is not expected to occur before 2030.”

Originally announced in 2013, the Boeing 777X aimed for entry into service by 2019, but has faced numerous delays pushing the anticipated operational date further into the future.