Boeing 777X ‘realistically’ not certified before mid-2023 – US

June 27 (Reuters) – The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Boeing Co. (PAN) Its planned 777X is not yet ready for a significant certification operation, and warned that by mid-2023 the aircraft will not be “realistically” certified.

In a May 13 letter to Boeing seen by Reuters, the FAA cited a number of issues in rejecting the manufacturer’s request for a Type of Inspection Accreditation (TIA) readiness. “The aircraft is not yet ready for TIA,” the FAA wrote, “refusing to recognize a limited number of phase TIAs with a limited number of certified aircraft testing programs.”

This previously undisclosed letter cites a number of concerns about the lack of data and the lack of a preliminary security assessment to review the FAA.

“No aircraft will be FAA approved if our aircraft does not meet our safety and certification standards,” the company said in a statement Sunday.

Boeing has been developing the new version of its popular 777 aircraft, the White Body Jet, since 2013, and is expected to release it for aircraft use in 2020.

A Boeing spokesman said on Sunday, “Our highest priority in the development of the 777X is to ensure that the company is fully focused on safety. “

The 777X is the first major jet to be certified, as software glitches on two Boeing 737 Max aircraft have caused dangerous accidents and triggered allegations about a convenient relationship between the company and the FAA.

European regulators say the 777X will be subjected to further scrutiny after triggering a 20-month basis of the 737 MAX.

The Max crash in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people between 2018 and 2019 in five months.

This letter cites a number of issues that still need to be addressed, including the “major software update that may come with the software load of flight control … The FAA understands that there are several significant issue report issues that will be resolved by that version. “

“Software load dates continue to fluctuate, and the FAA needs to make a better choice on the causes of delays,” the company added.

“After the uncontrolled pitch event, the FAA has not yet seen how Boeing fully implements all the corrective measures identified by the root cause investigation,” it said.

Boeing said the company “must implement a strong process so that similar escapes do not occur in the future, which is not a legitimate issue.”

The FAA’s letter date for the 777X is “realistically until late 2023 (> 2 years from now.”

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said earlier this month that “we are still confident” that the certification will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The letter was previously reported by the Seattle Times.

Report by David Shepherdson; Compiled by Lisa Schumacher

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