ARLINGTON— Boeing has confirmed that its 777-9, the first member of the 777X family, has cleared a major regulatory step in its certification campaign. Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) President and CEO Stephanie Pope shared the update while attending the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro (GIG).
The Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) Phase 4B approval, granted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), opens the largest remaining block of flight testing for the widebody. The development follows recent FAA timeline comments made in Charleston (CHS) and keeps Boeing on course to certify the 777-9 later in 2026, with first deliveries targeted for early 2027.
Boeing 777-9 Secures Critical FAA Testing Phase
Speaking with ATW on June 6 from Rio de Janeiro, Pope said the TIA Phase 4B approval had been issued only a day or two earlier.
The phase is one of the most demanding stages of the certification process, as FAA personnel take a direct role in testing and validating the aircraft’s safety systems, checklists, and non-normal operations.
Pope described the approval as a turning point for the program. She explained that the authorization unlocks the biggest portion of the remaining FAA flight test work that Boeing can now carry out.
It clears the path for further avionics testing, stability and control testing, and human factors flight testing, Aviation Week reported.
Five Phases of TIA and What 4B Delivers
The TIA process is split into five phases. Boeing had already secured TIA Phase 4A, which Pope called a smaller segment of the overall work. Phase 4B covers a much larger scope and ranks among the biggest pieces still needed to finish flight testing.
According to Pope, the phase focuses heavily on aircraft systems such as avionics. She credited her team for the coordination required to complete every submittal to the regulator and to respond quickly and thoroughly to FAA questions. She said earning each authorization depends on that level of focus and discipline.
Certification and Delivery Timeline
The approval lands at a key point in the program calendar. A week before Pope’s comments, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford addressed the CAPA Americas Airline Leader Summit in Charleston, South Carolina. He said 777X certification could come hopefully early next year, after the FAA certifies the 737 MAX-7 and MAX-10 by the end of this year.
Certification of the 777-9 by the end of 2026 would open the way for deliveries to begin in early 2027. Many customers are waiting for that outcome after the program faced several delays. Pope said the early June approval gives Boeing more room to move through the certification process during the second half of the year.
ETOPS Approval Remains a Final Hurdle
A further part of the final test stage involves extended range twin engine operations (ETOPS) approval, which sits under TIA Phase 5. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg addressed this point on May 27 at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York.
Ortberg said the company expected to finish the flight test program by year’s end, with ETOPS as the exception. He acknowledged that most customers would want ETOPS testing completed before delivery. He added that Boeing is already building the aircraft and preparing to start deliveries next year.
Boeing Leadership Priorities for 2026
Pope made clear that certification of the MAX-7, MAX-10, and 777-9 are her top priorities for the rest of the year. She expressed strong confidence in the team’s progress and said performance had exceeded her own expectations.
She framed the milestone as a confidence booster in the wider recovery underway for Boeing. Pope said the achievement matters for the company’s customers, its employees, and the broader industry watching the program closely.
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