Boeing has suspended flight testing of its new 777X wide-body jet after a flaw was found in a part connecting the engine to the plane’s body. It is the latest in a long series of quality control issues for the troubled US aerospace giant.
“During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that was not functioning as designed,” the US aerospace giant told AFP in a statement.
“Our team is replacing the part and gathering experience from this part and will resume flight testing when ready,” it said, confirming an earlier report by specialist website The Air Current.
Boeing has been dogged by concerns about safety and quality control in recent years, with a near-disastrous incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max in January heaping pressure on the company.
Boeing’s new Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortberg, 64, took over earlier this month vowing to restore confidence in the troubled manufacturer, and announced he would stay in Seattle to be closer to the company’s commercial airplane programs.
Trouble in the family
Boeing’s 777X widebody program, unveiled in November 2013, is the latest version of its popular 777 family.
The new twin-aisle aircraft will be the world’s largest twin-engine jet. More than 500 777X aircraft have already been ordered, but they have not yet entered commercial service.
Boeing said the part that caused the flight test to be postponed is specific to the 777-9 model, and connects the engine to the plane’s structure.
He said other 777-9s used for testing were being inspected following the incident.
Boeing’s new aircraft will be available in three models: 777-8, 777-9 and 777-8 Cargo.
The aircraft was originally scheduled to enter service in 2020, but has now been delayed to 2025 due to problems during the certification process.
Although the 777X still hasn’t received the green light from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing crossed a major milestone in July this year.
After a large number of test flights, it received permission to begin testing the 777-9 with FAA representatives.
surge in orders
Boeing named aerospace veteran Kelly Ortberg as its next chief executive officer on the same day the company reported a $1.4 billion loss in the second quarter of the year, with its commercial division’s poor performance hurting profits.
But the company has since seen some rare positive news, with orders for new planes surging in July.
Boeing said it had booked 72 orders in the lead-up to the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom – including 57 for its flagship 737 MAX aircraft.
And a few days later, Boeing announced that El Al had finalised an order for 31 737 MAX planes, the largest purchase of aircraft in the Israeli flag carrier’s 76-year history.
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