Emirates president Tim Clark expects the first of the company's 205 Boeing 777X aircraft to enter service by 2026, extending delays on the programme, after the wide-body aircraft attains full certification at the end of 2025.
Boeing will face heightened regulatory scrutiny of its new wide-body jet and must ensure it gets it right, Mr Clark told reporters on the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow in England on Monday.
“The [US] FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] will be doubly rigorous, in my view, on everything, probably rightly so, and Boeing beating themselves to make sure that they get it absolutely right. Nobody should be rushed, and any remediation work that needs to be done should be done openly, transparently. And whatever time it takes to get everything sorted that comes up in the flight test programme, get that done.
“I don't reckon [the plane] will be certified fully until the end of 2025 [and] in service for the likes of us … in 2026.”
The plane will become crucial to Emirates' wide-body fleet. The airline has built its fleet on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380s, but the 777X is long delayed and Airbus has ceased production of the A380.
As a result, the airline had to retrofit many of its planes to extend their lifespans.
The 777X is the industry's biggest twin-engined plane, with about 400 seats, but its entry into service has been pushed back by five years because of problems including certification delays.
Boeing started certification flight testing of the 777-9 this month with US aviation regulators on board. The FAA authorised certification flights to begin, the first of which occurred on July 12 from Paine Field in Seattle.
On Monday, Korean Air announced its intention to buy 20 of Boeing's 777-9s to reach high-demand markets in Europe and North America, as well as popular regional routes within Asia, the plane maker said during the Farnborough event.
Mr Clark said Boeing has two problems to tackle on its 777X programme. The first is to get the plane certified and enter into commercial service, with strong performance on the engines and the supply chain.
The second issue is to step up the production rate from three aircraft a month in 2026 to five a month by 2028, in order to clear a backlog of more than 400 of the 777Xs, he said.
“The first task is get it out of the door. The second task is … how are you going to build it in the contracted timelines?”
At the Dubai Airshow in November 2023, Emirates ordered 55 additional Boeing 777-9s and 35 777-8s, bringing the airline's total 777X orders to 205.
The Dubai-based airline comprises less than half of Boeing's 481 firm orders for the 777X wide-body.
“We will not take kindly to be pushed back by people who are coming in later in the programme … so that adds another layer of complexity for the people in Seattle,” Mr Clark said, referring to Korean Air's planned 777X deliveries starting in 2028.
Due to delays in 777X deliveries, Emirates was forced into expensive redesigns of its cabin interiors.
“We've completely rejigged our interior in the 777-9,” Mr Clark said, explaining that the cabin's technology and look were becoming outdated.
“We've had to junk it all: the IFE, the economy seats, the premium economy seats have all been trashed and we start again.”
The delays also forced an expansion of its retrofit programme to include more aircraft, raising the total cost to $3 billion, Mr Clark said. The airline said in August 2022 that the programme had cost $2 billion.
In a visit to Boeing's Renton factory in Seattle last week, Mr Clark said he was “pleased to see that Boeing's management had moved their offices into the factories, so they're actually looking at their planes rather than sitting in Chicago”.
On Sunday, Boeing's chief of commercial jets said the company has disappointed its customers but that it is making transformational and systemic changes based on feedback from its employees, airlines and regulators.
Stephanie Pope also said some customers had been led through Boeing's Renton factory to understand the actions being taken to address quality and safety issues, and that the factory floor had been opened for their inspection.
At the first day of the Farnborough show, Boeing won several aircraft sales at the aviation industry’s biggest event of the year, led by the Korean Air Lines deal.
The US plane maker's tally on Monday totalled 78 planes, including 56 firm orders and 22 options, with customers including Japan Airlines, Luxembourg’s Luxair and Florida cargo firm National Airlines.
Its European rival Airbus signed a deal for 20 A330s wide-bodies.
Engine testing
Emirates plans to test General Electric's GE9X, the engine that powers the 777X, in Dubai during the summer of 2025, according to Mr Clark.
“In the summer of next year, we bring one of the aeroplanes across to Dubai, take it up to max take-off weight … and then stress-test the engine,” he said.
The benchmark for the test will be maximum take-off at 42°C and pressure altitude of 600 feet, which are “fairly challenging conditions … but it really works the engine to its maximum,” he said.
Emirates has also ordered the Airbus A350-900, but Mr Clark has expressed dissatisfaction with the Rolls-Royce XWB engines that power the larger A350-1000 because he says they need too much maintenance in the hot and sandy climate in which Emirates operates.
Rolls-Royce has committed to investing more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to upgrade the engines, seeking to improve their performance and durability.
“We’re always happy to hear anything that they can demonstrate that works, that gets us closer,” Mr Clark said.
He said he is meeting with Rolls-Royce on Tuesday.
“The action is what we need to see,” Mr Clark added.
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More coverage from the Future Forum
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Wonka
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
