Transportation
Boeing Begins 777X Flight Tests With FAA in Breakthrough
- US granted jet Type Inspection Authorization after delays
- First 777-9 with FAA on board flew late Friday in the US
A Boeing 777-9 jetliner aircraft.
Photographer: Guiseppe Capacce/AFP/Getty ImagesBoeing Co. has started conducting flight trials of its 777-9 aircraft with US regulators on board, achieving a milestone toward certifying its jumbo airliner after years of setbacks.
The company announced that it took the initial test flight late Friday with Federal Aviation Administration personnel. Achieving so-called Type Inspection Authorization marks the start of certification flight testing, a key step in one of the most extensive commercial test efforts that Boeing has ever undertaken.