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US planemaker Boeing has quietly scrapped one of its earliest-built Boeing 777-9 airframes, tearing down a jet that had sat unflown at its Everett facility since 2019. Partially wearing the colors of Emirates, the widebody was intended to join the Middle Eastern carrier, but was instead taken apart due to the complex and expensive reworks it would have required before delivery.
The airframe — known as WH007, line number 1611 — was the seventh 777-9 ever built and was reportedly disassembled in the late summer of 2025, before its write-off was included as part of $15 billion in charges Boeing has accumulated on the 777X program. Boeing faces costly 'change incorporation' reworks on around 40 777X jets it has already built, and some of its customers don't want these early-build airframes at all.
Boeing Scrapped A 777X That Was Meant For Emirates
As first reported by The Air Current, the seventh-ever Boeing 777-9 built rolled out of the factory in July 2019 and was due to join Emirates under registration A6-EZT. At the time, the jet's folding wingtips were painted in Emirates colors, although the remaining structure was not painted over. However, the aircraft never ended up flying, instead spending around six years in storage at Paine Field before its eventual scrapping in 2025.
As an early build, WH007 was manufactured years ahead of certification to an early configuration standard. Just months after it emerged from the factory floor, plane spotters captured the airframe with its wingtips removed. The 777X program continued to face regulatory holdups, so it ended up remaining on the ground without its engines ever being installed.
In the case of WH007, Boeing has confirmed it was broken apart, stating that it decided not to complete one of its "partially assembled" 777-9s. It added that the jet was written off in prior financial results, but did not specify when exactly the aircraft was taken apart.
Expensive Change Incorporation Reworks
Change incorporation refers to the process of retrofitting already-built aircraft to match the final, certified design standard. With the 777X undergoing more extensive testing and certification hurdles than initially planned, findings from flight testing and additional requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must be incorporated into all built aircraft, even the earlier models.
The long-delayed widebody was initially slated to enter service in 2020, but is now scheduled to make its debut in 2027 with launch carrier Lufthansa. Although change incorporation is normal for any aircraft program, the 777X has undergone more changes than most since its inception. Boeing is believed to have built up to 40 airframes already, and these expensive widebodies will all require some degree of work.
Generally speaking, the older the aircraft, the more work it will require. WH007 was the second 777X built for Emirates, the first being WH006 (line number 1605), which will be registered as A6-EZD under Emirates. Back when Boeing was still publishing list prices, it listed a single 777-9 airframe at over $442 million. The company has not revealed how expensive its change incorporation charges will be for its fleet of built 777Xs.
Airlines Don't Want Early-Build 777X
Boeing's decision to scrap this 777X may have been influenced by its customer, Emirates. The airline's president, Sir Tim Clark, has previously made clear that the carrier is not interested in taking any inventory 777X's due to the extensive rework these airframes face. Emirates is the largest customer for the 777X by a considerable distance, holding orders for 270 aircraft, which is roughly half of all passenger 777X orders.
At least one other unnamed carrier has also decided against accepting early-build jets. Boeing has faced a similar predicament before with its early-build 787 Dreamliners, which were dubbed the 'Terrible Teens.' These airframes required years of expensive rework and were eventually sold at steep discounts, while others never entered service at all. For example, earlier this year, a 787-8 with just 13 hours of total flight time was broken apart at Roswell Air Center (ROW) in New Mexico.
