Boeing has received authorization from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) Phase 4B testing for the 777-9, one of the most significant remaining stages in the aircraft's certification campaign.
The development was disclosed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope during the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, according to Aviation Week and FlightGlobal.
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"There are five TIAs that we have to work through; 4B is the last significant amount of work, predominantly focused on systems like avionics," Pope said.
According to Boeing, the authorization unlocks the largest remaining portion of FAA-supervised flight testing, including avionics evaluations, stability and control testing, and human-factors assessments.
The approval follows FAA authorization of TIA 4A earlier this year and allows Boeing to proceed with a broader set of certification flights during the second half of 2026.
Pope described the authorization as a key step toward completing the aircraft's flight-test program, which Boeing still aims to finish this year.
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However, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford recently indicated that certification of the 777X is expected in early 2027, suggesting the process could extend beyond Boeing's original timeline.
Another major element of the campaign remains ETOPS certification, which is required for long-range operations over oceans and remote regions. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said last month that ETOPS testing is likely to continue after the main flight-test program is completed.
The 777-9 is the first member of the 777X family and has accumulated 541 firm orders. Boeing's backlog also includes 35 orders for the ultra-long-range 777-8 and 76 orders for the 777-8 Freighter.
Lufthansa has been designated as the launch customer for the 777-9, while Emirates remains the largest buyer of the variant.
