Fourth Boeing 777-9 test aircraft returns to the skies after a hiatus of more than three years
Boeing finally returned its fourth 777-9 test aircraft to the air on Wednesday. The prototype, registration N779XZ (WH004), took off from Paine Field in Everett for a 2-hour flight.
The aircraft first flew in September 2020 but was grounded in late 2021, nearly three and a half years ago.
The aircraft had been expected to return to service for a few weeks after the planemaker took the 777-9 to a ground test area.
According to Boeing, WH004 ended up in storage so the company could prioritize work on the other three test aircraft.
In recent months, a team from the manufacturer completed maintenance and made updates to the jet’s configuration so that it could rejoin the certification program.
Expected to be delivered to Lufthansa
The 777-9, registered as N779XZ, is the only one of the test aircraft to be configured with a passenger interior and is tasked with performing cabin-related tests, such as the environmental and noise control systems.
“Our team did an incredible job working through all the configuration updates required to safely get the airplane back into test,” said Brandon Schmitz, 777X test program manager, to BNN.
To date, Boeing has completed more than 1,400 flights with the four 777-9 prototypes, totaling about 4,000 flight hours.
[linkedin id="7326688982472290305"]The US manufacturer plans to obtain type certification from the FAA in late 2025 and begin deliveries of the aircraft in 2026.
After completing certification tests, the N779XZ aircraft is expected to be delivered to Lufthansa.
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