Aviation

Lufthansa’s first 777-9 takes shape

( Last news month article)

In the night from 14 to 15 February the final body join of the first Lufthansa 777-9 took place.

All major fuselage parts inclusive the mid section, which prior to this got joined with the wings during the „Wing Body Join“, were assembled and you can easily guess what our 777-9 will look like. Only the engines are missing.

Markus Löhn, Lufthansa Group Representative at Boeing and member of the Lufthansa 777X Entry Into Service

project team, is confident that the current schedule will be met and that the 777-9 will arrive in Germany with our new crane in July 2020. As responsible LH Group Fleet Procurement focal for production supervision and deliveries of all Boeing models to the Lufthansa Group, he is closely monitoring the progress of production in Seattle.

Lufthansa orders 20 additional A350-900 wide-body aircraft

The 777x series is based on the proven 777, which is already being flown by Lufthansa

Cargo as a cargo version and by Austrian Airlines and Swiss as a passenger version. With a length of 76.6 meters and a width of 71.8 meters, the 777-9 far surpasses its predecessor and is currently the longest passenger aircraft in the world.

New folding wings

Boeing, Lufthansa Group Complete Order for Four 777 Airplanes
The extremely long and narrowly curved wings are mainly made of carbon fibre and thus contribute to lower kerosene consumption. With this wingspan, the Boeing 777-9 would no longer find a suitable parking position at every airport. However, the last three and a half meters of the wings can be folded up. So the 777-9 can be parked like a conventional 777.

New engines
Two GE9X engines power the new long-haul aircraft. In addition to the lightweight construction of the wings and the new wing design, General Electric’s new developments are a major factor in improving fuel efficiency by 20% compared to the 777-300ER. With an outer diameter of 4.4 meters, it is larger than the fuselage diameter of a 737.

New cabin
The fuselage diameter of 6.20 metres is almost as large as that of a 747. The 777-9 has room for about 400 passengers, depending on the configuration. All seats are completely new developments.

Related Topics:Boeing 777-9 Lufthansa Airlines

Aviation

Boeing to Slash 17,000 Jobs Worldwide Amid Ongoing Factory Strike

Boeing to Slash 17,000 Jobs Amid Ongoing Factory Strike

Boeing, one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, is facing a severe crisis. The company announced on Friday that it will lay off 17,000 employees—roughly 10% of its workforce.

This decision comes amid a prolonged strike, production delays, and ongoing safety concerns with its aircraft. Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s CEO since August, delivered the news, stating, “Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together.

Beyond navigating our current environment, restoring our company requires tough decisions, and we will have to make structural changes to ensure we can stay competitive and deliver for our customers over the long term.”

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Boeing has been struggling financially, with the last reported profit in 2018. The company’s largest union, with 33,000 members, has been on strike for nearly a month after rejecting a labor deal. The ongoing walkout is reportedly costing Boeing around a billion dollars each month as negotiations remain at a standstill.

Compounding these issues, Boeing’s much-anticipated boeing 777x wide-body plane is now six years behind schedule, with deliveries postponed until 2026. This follows the discovery of structural damage during flight tests. Boeing also announced it will stop manufacturing its commercial 767 freighters after fulfilling its remaining orders by 2027.

Financially, the company expects to report a significant third-quarter loss—nearly $10 per share—and a total cash outflow of $1.3 billion. boeing new aircraft commercial airplane unit faces a $3 billion pretax charge, while its defense business will absorb an additional $2 billion hit.

Embraer’s E-Freighter is Certified by the FAA

The strike has severely impacted production at key boeing facilities, particularly in Seattle, where half of the company’s nearly 150,000 employees work. Since 2019, Boeing has lost approximately $25 billion.

Ortberg was brought in over the summer to help the company regain public trust following safety concerns, especially surrounding the 737 Max line, which was involved in two deadly crashes. Earlier this year, a separate incident involving a panel popping off a 737 Max mid-flight reignited concerns. A Federal Aviation Administration investigation following the event found that Boeing had failed 33 out of 89 product audits.