Last year, Boeing was scheduled to take to the skies with the newest updated version of their Boeing 777 wide-body jet, called the Boeing 777X. However, the aircraft, which was unveiled in a very muted manner due to the media event coming very close after the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, had to push back its schedule of test flights and entry into service due to the issues that were discovered with the GE9X engine which was specifically designed for this aircraft. In the meanwhile, Boeing continued testing of the aircraft on the ground.

777X First Flight Join us as the new Boeing 777X enters the next phase of its rigorous test program. Based on the most successful twin-aisle airplane ever, the Boeing 777, and with advanced technologies from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the 777X will be the largest and most fuel efficient twin-engine jet in the world, with an exceptional. Boeing, which has invested more than $5 billion in the program over the past six years, will broadcast the 777X's first flight live to a global audience on Boeing's website. The first flight has.

Now, Boeing has revealed that the Boeing 777X will be all set to fly for the first time on or after January 23, 2020. Here is the update they published online.

After years of design and testing, it’s almost time to fly. The #777X will make its first flight as early as January 23, subject to weather and other factors.

Learn more about the airplane: https://t.co/M5gH0ZMlCcpic.twitter.com/KRsZdDKA8q

— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 21, 2020

The first flight will be one of the many flights the aircraft will have to undergo for testing and certification. The test flight will be held on the morning of January 23, from the Everett facility, The Air Current wrote this morning before confirmation came from Boeing. But flight testing, just like rocket launches, is subject to all technical and weather-related criteria being a go, so I won’t be surprised in case they decided to take an extra day on the effort.

Update: Boeing has postponed the First Flight from January 23 to January 24, 2020, on account of the weather.

777x First Flight Live Stream King 5

We are postponing the #777X first flight that was scheduled to take place tomorrow, Jan. 23, due to weather. The team is currently assessing the possibility of flying on January 24. Stay tuned for updates.

— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 23, 2020

The 777X will be the largest twin-engine passenger jet to be built, which would be able to seat well over 400 passengers for the 777-9 variant.

You should be able to track the Boeing 777X first flight updates here.

Boeing Co.’s newest plane is preparing to spread its gargantuan wings—so long the tips are hinged—and rumble into the skies over the Washington factory complex constructed a half century ago for the original jumbo jet.

First flights typically mark a crowning technological achievement for planemakers, capping years of invention and problem-solving. This flight, however, will be clouded with uncertainty for Boeing.

The 777-9 is the planemaker’s first new model since two fatal crashes led to the global grounding of its 737 Max. As the company works to restore its reputation for safety and technical prowess, the new aircraft will face heightened scrutiny from regulators, airlines and investors.

Safety aside, there’s concern that the jetliner is simply too big for today’s airlines. The -9 is longer than Boeing’s iconic humpbacked 747 and is the first twin-engine jet built to haul a similar load of travelers—426 people in a typical two-cabin layout. It’s also the company’s priciest airplane, available for a cool $442.2 million before customary discounts.

But sales have stalled since an initial order flurry when the 777X was unveiled at the Dubai Airshow in 2013, and long-expected orders from China haven’t materialized amid trade tensions. “It is feeling like the plane is too big for most markets, for most airlines,” said George Ferguson, an aviation analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence.

The 777-9—the first model of the 777X family—is taking off into a turbulent market for aviation’s behemoths as the four-engine jets it was designed to replace fade into the sunset. Airbus SE is building the last of its A380 double-decker jets, while the future of Boeing’s 747 is very much in question with just 17 orders unfilled and a critical supplier shutting down production.

With 115 of the 777X still on order, Emirates accounts for more than half of Boeing’s total backlog. The long-haul carrier is also the largest customer for Airbus’s superjumbo. But as the A380 fades out of the global fleet over the next decade or so, it’s not a given that its operators will adopt the 777X to overcome congested hubs. For now, the trend is to bypass the industry’s biggest airports with smaller long-range jets.

“Most airlines that we’re dealing with are not interested in replacing [four-engine jets] with the largest twin-engine wide-bodies,” Steven Udvar-Hazy, chairman and founder of Air Lease Corp., said during a November earnings call. “Actually the trend is the other way,” he added, noting interest in smaller planes like Boeing’s 787 and Airbus’s A350.

The market may come around as the 777X takes flight and demonstrates its capability, however. It is an expensive airplane, Udvar-Hazy said, so airlines will likely wait and see how it performs before deciding on orders

The plane features stunning composite wings, the longest Boeing has ever built, with a span of 235 feet 5 inches (71.75 meters) when fully extended. The 777X will be instantly identifiable by its most distinctive feature: Hinges that flip the sculpted wingtips skyward for easier maneuvering around crowded taxiways.

777x First Flight Live Feed

While that design is a first for a commercial jetliner, it leans on concepts that have been around for about a century for military aircraft, said Mike Lombardi, Boeing’s corporate historian and archivist. The company’s F/A-18 Hornet, for instance, folds its wings to save space on carrier decks.

“It’s a very tried and true technology,” Lombardi said. “But I don’t think we’re going to be landing a 777X on a carrier deck any time soon.”

777x First Flight Live Stream

By Julie Johnsson