The Problem Boeing Ran Into When It Built 30 777-9s Before Certification

The Boeing 777-9 was supposed to enter airline service in 2020. Instead, Boeing now expects the first delivery in 2027. Among other program problems, the manufacturer currently has roughly 30 completed 777-9 airframes that had been built years before the aircraft reaches its final certified configuration. Those airframes are not simply waiting for engines, interiors, and customer acceptance. Boeing must systematically bring them up to the configuration required for delivery, a process the company calls “change incorporation.”