Emirates slams Boeing over 777X jet delays

The head of Dubai airline Emirates piled pressure on planemaker Boeing Tuesday over delays to its 777X jetliner, warning that the uncertainty would cause significant disruption for one of the world's biggest carriers. Emirates President Tim Clark said he wanted "another grown-up conversation" with the U.S. planemaker over the timing of the twin-engined jumbo, which is running at least two-and-a-half years behind its originally planned arrival of June 2020. "We work to precision. I struggle with others who can't get that," Clark told reporters shortly before he was due to meet Boeing leaders on the sidelines of an airline industry summit. Clark, an airline industry veteran who was closely involved in the development of the current 777-300ER model, has lambasted Boeing this year over repeated delays to its 777X. The company has previously said it plans to start delivering the new, larger version of the 777 wide-body jet by late 2023, three years later than originally planned, partly owing to a longer certification process after fatal 737 MAX jet crashes. Clark emphasised that the uncertainty over Boeing's progress with the programme would hamper his airline's complex fleet plans which include Airbus jets. Emirates, which has 126 777X jets on order, is a launch customer for the new aircraft that will replace the current 777 jets that are the backbone of its wide-body fleet. Clark said that Emirates still did not know when the first 777-9 version of the twin-engine jumbo would arrive, nor whether the smaller 777-8 version would be built at all.<br/>