World’s first twin-engine jet completes maiden flight

EVERETT: Boeing’s 777X, a new generation of the wide-body aircraft, finished its test flight on Saturday marking a landmark for the company struggling through the growing failure from two fatal crashes of its best-selling 737 Max.

The first flight, which took off from Everett, Washington and arrived at Seattle’s Boeing Field almost four hours later, is part of the test that will take place throughout the year as the company works towards gaining regulatory approval, the process expects to gain further attention after the two 737 Max crashes.

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The aircraft departed a few minutes after 10:00 local time (1800 GMT) from a rain-slicked runway at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, home to Boeing’s manufacturing site.

Boeing’s 737 Max single-aisle jetliners have been grounded since March following the second of two crashes that killed 346 people together.

The downturn has harmed its reputation and worsened in recent months, with the release of internal emails revealing that employees boasted of convincing regulators and airlines to approve the 737 Max without expensive simulator training and others expressing safety issues.

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Earlier this month, Boeing expelled aircraft production, a move that ripped through its production plan, likely to cost one manufacturer close to 3,000 jobs.