Emirates rejects 10 Boeing 777-9s, calls them fit for ‘baked bean cans’

Emirates President Tim Clark declared on Monday that the airline will refuse delivery of 10 early-build Boeing ↗ 0.52% 777-9 aircraft, dismissing them as unfit for service after years of delays have rendered the jets too costly to bring up to current standards.

Speaking ahead of the Farnborough Airshow, Clark told The Telegraph that Boeing could find another use for the planes. "Heinz would be interested — baked bean cans," he quipped, when asked what should become of the aircraft. "We're not taking that batch, and that's it. As far as we're concerned, what they do with them is up to them," he said.airinsight+1

Seven Years of Delays

The 777-9, the largest variant of Boeing's 777X family, was originally scheduled for delivery in 2020. The program is now seven years behind schedule, beset by design modifications, a fuselage blow-out during a pressure test, and broader quality concerns at Boeing. Clark noted that "the modifications for the airframe have been so significant since the early flights, and don't forget we had a static-test failure as well".airinsight

The 10 rejected aircraft were built in 2019 and 2020, before the type had achieved certification. According to AirInsight, one of the first aircraft destined for Emirates was dismantled and scrapped by Boeing in 2025 after the company determined the economics of repair were too high. The remaining jets face the same uncertain fate.airinsight

Deliveries Now Expected in 2027

Despite the rejection, Clark told reporters on Tuesday at Farnborough that Emirates expects its first 777-9 delivery in the second quarter of 2027, according to Reuters. "We should have had the planes in April 2020," Clark said, adding that getting them into the fleet in 2027 remains "a stretch".streetinsider

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration told Reuters on Monday that it expected the aircraft to be certified late this year or early next year. Emirates has 205 of the type on order, making it the largest 777X customer.streetinsider

Financial Pressure on Boeing

Boeing now faces the prospect of scrapping additional pre-certification aircraft that major customers will not accept. AirInsight estimates that 34 uncertified jets — including 777-9s and 737 MAX 7s — currently sit unwanted by their intended buyers, representing more than $1 billion in potential write-offs.airinsight