Dj's Aviation looks at why Lufthansa now expects its first Boeing 777-9 in the second quarter of 2027 and what that means for its summer fleet.
What the video covers
Written in our own words. It only describes what the video shows and says.From the first to the second quarter of 2027
Dj's Aviation reports that Lufthansa will not receive its first Boeing 777-9 on time. According to the video, the expected first delivery has slipped from the first quarter of 2027 to the second quarter. The airline confirmed this during its earnings call on 3 November, after Boeing had informed it of the revised delivery timeframe. The channel says the Lufthansa chief executive described contingency plans and a broader shift in how the group will deploy its future fleet. A second quarter handover is still at risk, the video notes, but it does fall within the window Lufthansa had been expecting. It adds that the airline had already been told in an earlier update that the first quarter might not be met, as uncertainty in the approval process grew in recent weeks.
Plan B for the summer schedule
Dj's Aviation calls the second quarter date the moment Plan B was activated. In its reading the most important point is that Lufthansa no longer expects the 777-9 to feature in its northern summer schedule. It says the airline now expects low single digit 777-9 deliveries in 2027 at best. With the type still not certified late in 2026, the video argues, nothing can be guaranteed, since earlier forecasts in the last six years have been missed several times. Lufthansa therefore has to rely heavily on other widebodies, including older types such as the A340-300. Dj's Aviation says that aircraft would ideally have been retired during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video also points to supply chain problems at both Airbus and Boeing that held back new deliveries. With fuel prices elevated, older four engine jets are not the most efficient choice for long haul flying, the video says. In its view, planning the summer without the 777X is the sensible choice: if the aircraft arrives sooner, Lufthansa can still introduce it as a bonus.
The GE9X seal and ETOPS testing
The video links the delay to the remaining certification work on the 777-9. The current focus is a redesigned mid seal in the GE9X engine. Citing reports on the certification programme, Dj's Aviation says the US Federal Aviation Administration does not intend to certify the aircraft until that redesigned seal is approved. The issue lies with the requested engine modification rather than with the aircraft systems. That approval also unlocks ETOPS flight testing, which according to the video cannot really start before the seal is cleared. The video says Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg stated in September that this work was taking longer, delaying authorisation for the remaining tests, with some flight testing possibly moving into 2027. Ortberg still held to the certification and first delivery window at that point. Dj's Aviation compares the situation with the 737-7 and 737-10 programmes. It stresses that certification does not mean delivery the next day or passenger service the day after, but it does remove the largest barrier.
