What will the new Boeing 777X look like?

(CNN) — The Boeing 777X was originally scheduled to enter service in 2020, but the jetliner’s launch has been plagued by delays.

Expected to debut in 2025, the plane’s most striking exterior feature is its folding wings – a first for a commercial airliner.

But what about the interior? This month, Boeing proudly presented a test demonstration of the 777-9X, one of two 777X models, at the Farnborough Airshow, an aviation trade event in the UK, giving an indication of what to expect. passengers.

The 777 has been a huge success for Boeing since it entered service in 1995, and is the best-selling wide-body aircraft. The 777X follows on from the popular but aging 777-300ER, and is expected to be one of the airline’s flagships.

One of the most notable things about the experimental aircraft, other than the fact that it is loaded with observation equipment, is its size.

big plane

Measuring 251 feet, the aircraft can seat 426 passengers in a standard two-class configuration, and is longer than its two predecessors the 777-300ER (242 feet 4 inches) and the Airbus A350-1000, whose length is only 242. feet

In the demonstration aircraft, most of the space in the cabin was taken up by the test chambers, including large water tanks used to balance the aircraft in test conditions.

Although the plane has the same external width as the 777, its side walls are thinner, so there is enough room for 10 18-inch wide seats in economy.

Then there are the windows. Not only are they about 16% larger than those on the 777, they are also installed on the fuselage to provide passengers with natural light and better visibility.

Nothing has been revealed in the 777-9X model, but Boeing has said that the people installed on board can hold twice as much as standard boxes and require 40% more space. less force to close.

According to Boeing, the best features of the 777 and 787 Dreamliner families have been combined for the 777X, with new advancements, and the similarities are evident.

Large windows

“It has the same features as the Dreamliner,” explained Julie O’Donnell from the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Communications team. “So the LED light and the humidity is good.”

Like the Dreamliner, the 777X can maintain a low altitude of 6,000 feet, to “help with fatigue,” a member of the flight test team told CNN Travel during a tour of the aircraft, with improved technology to “anti-turbulence.”

The 775,000 pound aircraft is equipped with General Electric GE9X engines, the most powerful engines ever mounted on a commercial aircraft. It uses 10% less fuel than the current 777.

In the cockpit, the flight deck includes touchscreen displays that can support multiple touch points, allowing two pilots to interact with their part of the display at the same time.

James Hanley, one of the test pilots on the plane, is full of praise for the “new style” system, indicating that it has been printed on the pilots.

Strong testing program

One of the many engines installed inside is used to operate the aircraft’s folding wings, which are 233 feet (71 meters) long.

Although this design feature is not unique to Navy aircraft built for landing on an aircraft carrier, this is the first time that folding wings have been installed on a commercial aircraft.

As a result, the US Federal Aviation Administration has drafted new regulations for the 777-9X and the 777-8X, its sister aircraft.

The 777-9 is undergoing “extensive” flight testing, both on the ground and in the air, and is progressing well, according to the test team.

Weather report

It is not part of the static display at the first Farnborough Airshow to be held from 2019.

Those in attendance were treated to a spectacular air show where the plane flew at a vertical angle, before performing some spectacular stunts, to the delight of the crowd below.

“I never get tired of watching people watch the plane fly,” O’Donnell told CNN Travel shortly before the horror show.

The plane is back at Seattle’s Boeing Field, and has “resumed normal operations.”

This high-altitude model comes months after Boeing announced that its delivery has been pushed back to 2025 due to “a new assessment of the time needed to meet certification requirements”.

More orders?

Boeing has received about 376 orders for the 777X.

Qatar Airways will be the first airline to acquire the plane, according to CEO Akbar Al Baker, who told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow that he was considering placing a “large order.”

Chris Sloan also contributed to this report.