The Boeing 777X takes off on its first test flight from the company’s factory in Everett, Washington on January 25, 2020.
Terreigh Sylvester | Reuters
Farnborough, England — Boeing The company has received an order from Korean Air for at least 40 wide-body jetliners, including the yet-to-be-certified 777X jetliner, in a show of faith in the struggling manufacturer.
The order, announced at the Farnborough Air Show outside London, includes 20 of the 777X jets, the largest in Boeing’s commercial jet lineup, and 20 of the 787-10 Dreamliner long-range jets. Boeing can also add another 10 planes, the largest option for any Dreamliner model.
Korean Air Chief Executive Officer Walter Cho said he expects the airline to start taking delivery of the aircraft later this decade.
The twin-engine 777X is years behind schedule, but reached a major milestone earlier this month when it began certification flight tests with the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Boeing Co. customers have been hit by aircraft delays, partly due to supply chain disruptions after the coronavirus hit the aerospace industry, but also linked to safety crises and manufacturing defects since a door plug burst on one of its smaller, best-selling 737 Max planes earlier this year.
“We wouldn’t have placed the order if there hadn’t been a guarantee,” Cho said at a press conference about the Korean Air order. “I know that whatever difficulties Boeing faces now, they will overcome them, and I have full confidence in Boeing.”
The airlines are Delta AirlinesEarlier this year the airline also ordered the Airbus A350-1000, the largest competing aircraft of the type.
“Whichever comes first, whichever comes out on time, will be our flagship product,” Cho said.
