Boeing has reportedly dismantled one of its earliest-built 777-9 aircraft after determining that bringing the jet up to the final certified standard would require extensive and costly modifications.
The information was first reported by The Air Current. Boeing has not commented publicly on the fate of the aircraft.
The aircraft, manufacturer serial number 61950 and line number 1611, was built in Everett in 2019 for Emirates as A6-EZT. It rolled out wearing the airline’s colors on its folding wingtips but never entered service, remaining at Boeing’s facilities throughout the prolonged certification campaign for the 777X.
According to the report, the aircraft was dismantled in late 2025. If confirmed, it would become the first known 777-9 to be scrapped before delivery to a customer.
The report says the jet represented an early production standard that no longer matched the final certified configuration. Retrofitting the airframe would have required extensive structural and systems modifications under Boeing’s “change incorporation” process, which updates aircraft assembled before certification.
About 40 777X aircraft were built before certification and require similar retrofit work before delivery. The report also says some customers have shown reluctance to accept the earliest production aircraft because of the scale of the modifications required.
The 777-9 remains in FAA certification, with Boeing expecting approval before the end of the year. Emirates, the program’s largest customer with 205 aircraft on order, said this week it expects to receive its first 777-9 during the second quarter of 2027.
