The stars of Boeing's presentation at the Farnborough Airshow later this month are impressive, advanced, and not yet approved for commercial flight. Two are the biggest of their kind, and one is tiny.
The show, which draws a large crowd of airline and airplane executives and enthusiasts, opens July 18 in Farnborough, England; it alternates with the Paris Airshow, and includes both on-the-ground displays and often over-the-top flying demonstrations.
Boeing's headliners are the 777-9, the first of the 777x family, and the largest 737 Max variant, the 737-10. The 777-9 is touted as the largest airliner in current production. Except it isn't really yet in production as it awaits approvals from the U.S. FAA and other regulators; it is several years behind schedule as a successor to the 747 and even A380.
The 737-10 is similarly held back from production; under new FAA rules adopted after deep questions were raised about certification processes, if the 737-10 is not certified by December 31st, it will require cockpit modifications to meet new standards. Boeing's CEO has recently hinted that if Congress does not extend the deadline, Boeing will drop the model altogether.
Perhaps Boeing's happiest moment for now, then is the debut of a small pilotless electric air taxi produced by its joint venture with Wisk Aero, which will be part of the show.
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