Washington (dpa) - US aviation company Boeing has postponed the launch of the ultra long range 777-8 airliner, the company confirmed Thursday.
"We reviewed our development program schedule and the needs of our current 777X customers and decided to adjust the schedule," a Boeing company spokesman said in an email to dpa. "The adjustment reduces risk in our development program, ensuring a more seamless transition to the 777-8."
Boeing provided no details about the new schedule for the 777-8. The company announced three weeks ago that it is still targeting late 2020 for first delivery of the 777X, but said "there is significant risk to this schedule given engine challenges."
The postponement in the rollout of the 777-8 series could result in Boeing losing ground to European rival Airbus in its bid to help fulfil Qantas Airways' plans to start service on the 17,000-kilometre route between Sydney and London in 2023.
A modified version of the Boeing 777-8 and the long-haul Airbus A350 are under discussion as the airliners that would be used on the 21-hour flight, which would be the world's longest non-stop service.
The Boeing spokesman said the company still plans the first delivery of the 777-9 in 2020 and continues to work closely with engine supplier General Electric. The 777-9 series has a shorter range, and the German airline Lufthansa has ordered 20 of them.
The grounding of Boeing's 737 Max planes began in March after a crash in Ethiopia of a Boeing 737 Max that came less than five months after a 737 Max crashed in Indonesia. The two crashes killed a total of 346 people.
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