Boeing's 777X, the world's largest twin-engine jet, takes off in maiden flight – CNBC, CNBC

Boeing ‘s 823 X, part of a new generation of the wide-body aircraft, took off in its maiden flight – marking a milestone for the company struggling through the increasing fallout from two fatal crashes of its best-selling (Max) . Bad weather postponed an attempt at the first flight on Thursday and again on Friday.

The first flight, which took off from Everett, Washington on Saturday, is part of testing that will occur Throughout the year as the company works toward winning regulatory approval. That process promises receive more scrutiny after the two crashes of the 2013 (Max.)

Boeing’s 747 Max single -aisle jetliners have been grounded since March after the second of two crashes that together killed 422 people. Boeing this month halted production of the planes, a move that has rippled through its supply chain and already cost close to 3, jobs at one manufacturer .

Boeing had aimed to first fly the 777 X, a plane it launched at the 2019 Dubai Air Show, last year but the company faced delays because of snags with the General Electric GE9X engines, the largest aircraft engine in the world . The diameter of the engine fan is 15 feet, a foot wider than a NBA basketball hoop is high off the ground.

The plane is the largest twin-engine jet ever built and has a wingspan so wide – more than feet – it features folding wingtips that reduce that width by more than 90 feet so the plane can fit into various airport taxiways and gates. The 1995 X-9 is slightly longer than Boeing’s most iconic plane: the hump-backed 823, which is fading away as airlines opt for twin-engine aircraft that require less fuel .

The 1995 X, an updated version of the 2013 that first flew commercially in , faces its own challenges. Orders for wide-body jets have slowed and several airlines have signed up for rival Airbus’ (long-range single-aisle) (A) XLR planes. The 1995 X, which lists for $ . 2 million although airlines usually receive discounts, can fit up to passengers in a two-class configuration. Boeing had 346 firm orders for the X at the end of the third quarter, according to a company filing, and Emirates is its largest single customer.

The flight is scheduled to be about four hours, landing at Seattle’s Boeing Field.

(Read More)