A Boeing 777X aircraft on aerial display on the opening day of the Farnborough International Air Show in Farnborough, UK, Monday, July 18, 2022.
Jason Olden | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Boeing The airline said on Monday that it had halted flight tests of its 777X aircraft after damage was discovered to the structure of one of the wide-body aircraft during flight tests.
The company said it discovered damage to a custom part between the engine and the aircraft structure during scheduled maintenance. Three other 777-9 aircraft in the test fleet have since been grounded. Boeing said no other flight tests are scheduled for other aircraft.
“Our teams will replace parts, collect lessons learned from the components, and resume flight testing when ready,” Boeing said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration and customers who have ordered 481 777X planes have been notified, according to Boeing’s website.
It was not immediately clear whether the ground and ground issues would affect the certification and delivery of the new wide-body jetliner, which is scheduled for 2025, about five years behind schedule. Boeing began flight testing of the plane with the Federal Aviation Administration in July, a major milestone.
The news, previously reported by The Air Current, comes as Boeing executives, including new CEO Kelly Ortberg, work to address the company’s safety crisis that began with an explosive door plug earlier this year.
