Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleBoeing's 777X certification is delayed to 2026, impacting finances. CEO Ortberg cites no new technical issues but highlights production and debt priorities.
By Dan Catchpole
SEATTLE (Reuters) -Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Thursday that the planemaker is falling behind schedule on certifying the 777-9, its newest widebody jet.
The company expects to deliver the first 777X jet in 2026, six years later than anticipated when the program was launched in 2013.
A "mountain of work" remains to certify the plane, but no new technical problems have been identified, Ortberg said while speaking at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference.
But "even a minor schedule delay on the 777 program has a pretty big financial impact" for the company, which has already lost several billion dollars on the program, he noted.
Across its programs, Boeing's supply chain faces inflationary pressure, he said.
However, he does not expect any supply chain problems to prevent the company from increasing production of its best-selling 737 MAX to 42 aircraft per month by the end of the year, up from the currently federally imposed cap of 38, Ortberg said.
The company still has to stabilize one of its six key performance metrics before it increases 737 output, he noted.
Paying down debt is a top priority when the company returns to profitability, Ortberg said, noting that the company took on too much debt dealing with its crises in recent years.
(Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Chris Reese and Lisa Shumaker)
Debt management refers to strategies and practices used by individuals or companies to handle their debts effectively, ensuring timely payments and minimizing financial stress.
Corporate bonds are debt securities issued by companies to raise capital. Investors lend money to the company in exchange for periodic interest payments and the return of the bond's face value at maturity.
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