Emirates’ order for the 777X dates back to 2013. At the time, Emirates expected their first 777X aircraft to enter service in 2020. In 2019, the airline placed an order for the 787-9 Dreamliner, with first deliveries set for 2023. However, problems with the development and production of the two aircraft shattered the original delivery schedule.
At a media roundtable in Doha this week, the president of Emirates confirmed that he won’t have the first 777X until July 2025. But he also noted that the flight-test program is all but stalled, and he expects production to struggle. As for the Dreamliner, orders are still open, but they are also not expected to be delivered until 2025. The 777X is more important to Emirates in a last resort, and Tim Clark won’t be awake at night if the Dreamliner order falls through.
“As far as the 787s are concerned, we’re taking a closer look to see if they (still) are a good fit for the program…I think there may be a relief. I think if it (delivery of the 787s) at this point in time It doesn’t happen, and both parties are probably relieved. It’s more important to us that they focus on delivering their 777X,” Clark said.
“Given the backlog of planes and everything else, it’s probably better for everyone to say we don’t want the 787, but the A350 is on track to arrive in the summer of 2024. We’re talking to Airbus about compressing delivery dates, so we’re probably going to have every Two a month – we’ll have 50 coming in two years.”
Clark has criticized Boeing in the past. Boeing’s problem, he said, wasn’t the individuals, or who was in the C-suite, or the culture. Instead, Tim Clark believes Boeing’s “problems” can be traced back to its operating model. The Emirates president isn’t the only airline executive who has questioned Boeing in the past. He said that if Boeing hadn’t gotten information from customers about resolving their internal problems by now, they never would.
According to Tim Clark, the operating model revolves around designing and building aircraft to the gold standard based on customer needs. If Boeing starts doing well again, customers will start buying their planes again, he said. Clark said Emirates’ expectations of Boeing (and other suppliers) are driven by the stringent standards that Emirates imposes on itself.
“At the end of the day, you need certainty, you need to be able to deliver on contract. The Boeing contract drives everything — except when things go wrong. We have to be patient, or, dare I say, grow up.”
Emirates needs a large airliner like the 777X. Clark said capacity constraints at airports such as Heathrow and San Francisco meant they could not field six 787s to replace the capacity provided by two A380 flights. That’s what troubles the president of Emirates.
Meanwhile, delivery schedules and contractual obligations for the 787 are on the agenda at a meeting with Boeing in Dubai next week.
