LE BOURGET, France — The company building the engine for Boeing's new 777X needs to rework a part, pushing back the first flight of the new jet until late this year.
General Electric made that announcement at the Paris Air Show, an event where Boeing is already consumed by a larger crisis, the grounding of the 737 MAX after two crashes killed 346 people.
"I think it puts very much at risk the idea of (the 777X's) entry into service next year," aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton told KIRO 7 from Paris. "That could well slip into 2021, which is another blow to Boeing, another headache it doesn't need. Obviously, if they don't deliver the airplanes they can't get paid for them and right now they're just bleeding cash because of the MAX grounding."
Regulators around the world will decide when the 737 MAX can carry passengers again.
Boeing has not yet announced any passenger plane orders in Paris, and is instead focusing on rebuilding trust with airline customers.
"This is the most trying of times and without a doubt it is a pivotal moment for all of us, it's a time to capture learning, it's a time to be introspective, and it's a time to make sure accidents like this never happen again," said Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO.
Boeing's rival, Airbus, announced a new single-aisle, long-range plane and more than 100 orders.
The Boeing 777X is built in Everett. The 737 MAX is built in Renton.
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Associated Press
