US agency tells Boeing not to expect certification approval for 777X before mid-2023

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned Boeing Co that it may not "realistically" certify its 777X airplane until the middle to late 2023.

In a letter to Boeing, the FAA rejected the aircraft manufacturer's request to be issued a Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) Readiness, which is of limited scope with a small number of certification flight test plans, citing issues, such as lack of data and a preliminary safety assessment for review.

Other issues raised by the FAA that need to be addressed include an upcoming major software update with the software load of flight control.

The FAA noted that software load dates are continuously sliding and require better visibility into the causes of the delays, adding that after the un-commanded pitch event, it is yet to see how Boeing fully implements all the corrective actions.

The FAA emphasized that it will not approve any aircraft unless it meets its safety and certification standards.

Boeing has been developing the widebody 777X, a new version of its 777 aircraft, since 2013 and expected to commercially release it in 2020.

A software flaw in two Boeing 737 MAX planes resulted in fatal crashes that led to accusations of cozy relations between the FAA and Boeing.

European regulators have said in particular that they will subject the 777X to extra scrutiny after the fatal crashes prompted the 20-month grounding of the 737 MAX.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said earlier this month that they are confident of receiving certification n the fourth quarter of 2023.