There was a great deal to cheer for the troubled American aviation company, Boeing.
The world’s longest and largest twin-engine airliner, the Boeing 777X completed its first test flight on 25th January 2020. It took off near Seattle and the flight lasted for around 4 hours, cruising over Washington state.
Congratulations to our customers and #777X team on today’s safe and successful flight, the first of many for the 777X as we continue our rigorous test program.
Continue the journey with us, signup for updates here: https://t.co/n7t9Os5Q6Y pic.twitter.com/rawf73V6x5
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 25, 2020
Unfortunately, this test flight was called off twice earlier due to poor weather conditions.
This new airline is expected to become one of Boeing’s mainstays in the future. It is designed to carry 425 passengers and is 252-foot long. Weighing a massive 775,000 pounds, its standout feature is the presence of folding wingtips, which allow the wingspans to be contracted from 235 feet to a mere 213 feet. Its engines – the General Electric GE9X – are the most powerful ones that have ever been mounted on a commercial airliner.
The aircraft, like Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, has large windows and a redesigned passenger cabin. Boeing claims that this will be the most efficient twin-engine plane in the world.
It will rival the Airbus350-1000, which can carry about 360 passengers.
Boeing has had a tough last few months with two of its 737 Max aircrafts involved in horrific crashes, killing a total of 34 passengers and crew in the past two years. The first crash occurred in Indonesia in October 2018 while the second was in Ethiopia in March 2019. These fatalities also resulted in the grounding of the 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling aircraft, which has cost Boeing an estimated $9 billion.
We hope that this new airliner brings about a revolution for Boeing and for the aviation industry.
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