FIRST SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT OF BOEING 777 X

THE BIGGEST AIRPLANE IN THE WORLD

The aircraft landed at Boeing Field near Seattle after approximately 4 hours of flight in the skies of Washington State, in the northwest of the United States.

The largest twin-engine aircraft ever built

The 777X has something to impress. With the cessation of production of the Airbus A380, the 777X will also be the largest new aircraft in the world, capable of carrying up to 426 passengers in version over 14,000 km.

This modernized version of the current 777-300ER is also equipped with the largest aircraft engine ever built (the GE9X from General Electric), which should give it a 13% gain in fuel consumption compared to its predecessor.

Another visible feature of the 777X is its revolutionary new wings, 72 meters wide - three more than the 747 - made of composite material with foldable ends. This is to limit the size of the aircraft on the ground, while maximizing its lift in flight.

Compete with the Airbus A350

The 777X, which can carry 384 to 426 passengers, has an order book of 340 units, mainly from seven major airlines, including Emirates, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Its order book now totals 340 orders and options, or even 309 by removing questionable options. At list price, this already represents some $ 57 billion.

The 777X is supposed to compete with the A350 from the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. It is supposed to consolidate Boeing's domination of Airbus in the long-haul, a position weakened by the imminent reduction in production rates for the 787 "Dreamliner", due to the lack of firm orders from China.

The 777X will indeed have the heavy task of taking over from the 777-300ER, the best-selling long-haul widebody, facing the new Airbus A350. On its success therefore depends the future of the American aircraft manufacturer.

Turn the page of the 737 MAX

Especially since the American aircraft manufacturer was stuck in an unprecedented crisis since the close accident of two 737 MAX in October 2018 and March 2019, which killed 346 people.

The 737 MAX crisis was in everyone's mind on Saturday, including that of the director of the commercial division, Stan Deal: “This flight is the demonstration in the eyes of the world that we know what we are doing.

We know how to build safe planes and give confidence to the public. ”

With the 737 MAX crisis, which has widened the gap with Airbus in the medium-haul market for a long time, Boeing is counting more than ever on its long-haul 787 and 777X to maintain its rank and profits.

He is not the only one. In France alone, a dozen aeronautical equipment manufacturers, including Safran, Thales, Latécoère, contributed to the 777X.

The certification test

For the past three years, orders for long-haul carriers have certainly slowed. A slump in long-haul wide-body aircraft, linked to the drop in the price of oil and the setbacks of Gulf companies, which did not spare Airbus, including the A350-1000, the direct competitor of the 777X.

But in the opinion of the two aircraft manufacturers, the bulk of the wave of replacements for the 777, 747, A340 and A380 will not arrive until 2023-2024.

And in this new decade, Boeing hopes to sell between 60 and 100 long-haul widebody aircraft per year.

The main challenge for Boeing will be to quickly pass the certification phase, which promises to be particularly delicate, given the liabilities of Boeing with American civil aviation.

No doubt the FAA, which has been criticized for its lack of vigilance for the 737 MAX, will be particularly careful with the 777X.