A Boeing 777X aircraft takes off during its first test flight from the company's plant in Everett, Washington, January 25, 2020.
Terray Sylvester | Reuters
FARNBOROUGH, England — Boeing has secured orders for at least 40 wide-body jets from Korean Air, including the still-awaiting certification 777X aircraft, in a vote of confidence for the struggling manufacturer.
The order, announced at the Farnborough Air Show outside London, includes 20 777Xs, the largest in Boeing's commercial jet lineup, and 20 long-range 787-10 Dreamliners. It also has options for another 10 Dreamliners, the largest option for that model.
Korean Air Chief Executive Walter Cho said he hoped to begin receiving the planes by the end of this decade.
The twin-engine 777X has been years behind schedule, but earlier this month it began certification flight testing with the Federal Aviation Administration, a major milestone.
Boeing customers have been grappling with aircraft delays, partly due to post-Covid supply chain issues that have roiled the aerospace industry but also related to a safety crisis and manufacturing glitches, particularly after a door stopper blew out earlier this year on one of its smaller, best-selling 737 Max jets.
“If I didn't have the confidence, I wouldn't have ordered it,” Cho said at a news conference about the Korean Air order. “I know Boeing will overcome whatever it's going through right now and I have full confidence in Boeing.”
The airline, partner of Delta Air LinesEarlier this year, it also ordered the Airbus A350-1000, the largest of its kind.
“Whoever arrives first will become our flagship, whoever arrives on time,” Cho said.
