A Boeing 777X airplane takes off during its first test flight from the corporate’s plant in Everett, Washington, January 25, 2020.
Terray Sylvester | Reuters
FARNBOROUGH, England — Boeing won orders for no less than 40 wide-body jetliners from Korean Air, including the yet-to-be-certified 777X jetliner, in a vote of confidence for the struggling manufacturer.
The order, announced on the Farnborough Airshow outside of London, includes 20 777X planes, the most important in Boeing’s business jet lineup, and 20 787-10 Dreamliner planes, each long-range jets. The airline can even upsize its order for 10 more of the Dreamliners, the most important option for that model.
Korean Air CEO Walter Cho said he expected to begin receiving the planes later this decade.
The dual-engine 777X is years behind schedule but earlier this month began certification flight tests with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, a serious milestone.
Boeing customers have been grappling with delayed aircraft, partly because of post-Covid supply chain snarls which have hit the aerospace industry, but in addition related to a security crisis and manufacturing flaws, particularly after a door plug blow out earlier this 12 months on certainly one of its smaller and bestselling 737 Max planes.
“If I wasn’t assured, I’d not have ordered it,” Cho said at a news conference of Korean Air’s order. “I do know Boeing will pull through whatever it’s they are going through without delay, and I actually have full confidence in Boeing.”
The airline, a partner of Delta Air Lines, earlier this 12 months also ordered competing Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, the most important of that type.
“Whichever comes first will turn out to be our flagship, whoever’s on time,” Cho said.
