Air travel

Emirates Boss Says Airline Will Reject Delayed Boeing Aircraft

Is Boeing's 777X a costly disaster or a revolutionary aircraft worth the wait?

Published JUL 21

#Air travel

Emirates Boss Says Airline Will Reject Delayed Boeing Aircraft

Story

Above: A DHL Boeing 777-200 at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 in Farnborough, U.K., on July 20. Image credit: Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark announced at the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday that the airline would refuse delivery of an initial batch of 10 Boeing 777X jets, saying the aircraft had undergone too many design changes and that updating them to the latest standard was not feasible.
Stuff
The Sydney Morning Herald
Speaking to The Telegraph, Clark stated that "we're not taking that batch and that's it." The Emirates boss also suggested that the airplanes would be better suited as "baked bean cans," joking that "Heinz would be interested."
The Telegraph
To date, the long-haul airline has ordered 270 Boeing 777Xs, specifically the 777-9 and 777-8 models, for $440 million each, alongside 10 Boeing 777 freighters and 35 Boeing 787s, bringing Emirates' total orderbook with the U.S. manufacturer to 315 widebody aircraft.
The Telegraph
Emirates
Investors
Clark also stated his expectation that Boeing would deliver its first 777-9 to Emirates in Q2 2027, promising that the plane would be thoroughly tested before entering service. Separately, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration told Reuters it expects the aircraft to be certified by late 2026 or early 2027.
Reuters
Aviation Week Network
It follows a series of setbacks that have delayed the 777X program, which Boeing originally targeted for first delivery in 2020, including a thrust control issue that halted test flights in 2024 and a 2020 incident in which an aircraft's nose pitched up without the pilot's input.
Boeing
Bloomberg
The Seattle Times
Reporting by The Air Current, meanwhile, revealed that one of the 777X jets built for Emirates was dismantled in late summer 2025 after sitting dormant for six years near Boeing's Everett, Washington, facility, with Boeing subsequently confirming it had scrapped one "partially assembled" 777-9.
The Air Current

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Boeing's 777X is a financial and reputational disaster unfolding in slow motion: seven years late, $10 billion in charges and now pushing first delivery to 2027. To make matters worse, Emirates, which ordered 270 of the jets, is openly questioning Boeing's ability to make meaningful forecasts. Every delay only hands Airbus more long-haul market share and forces airlines to burn money operating aging fleets.

Business Insider

Forbes

Narrative B

The 777X represents a genuine leap forward in aviation, with 20% lower fuel use and emissions, a 40% smaller noise footprint, and 10% lower operating costs than the competition. The folding wingtip design and 787-inspired cockpit make it a seamless, low-risk addition for airlines already operating Boeing fleets. Once certified, this aircraft will be a market-defining product that justifies every bit of the wait.

Boeing