Boeing Co. has temporarily halted flight tests of its 777X jetliner to inspect its four-aircraft fleet after discovering cracks in a critical structural component that connects the General Electric Co. engines to the plane's wings. The issue arose when a damaged thrust link was found on a 777-9 during routine maintenance following a test flight. Boeing stated that the component "didn't perform as designed" and plans to replace it before resuming flight testing.

This development is the latest in a series of setbacks for Boeing's 777X certification process, which is already five years behind schedule. The grounding could delay deliveries further, potentially pushing them into 2026, according to RBC Capital analyst Ken Herbert. Boeing has informed the Federal Aviation Administration and its customers about the issue and is inspecting other jets in the 777X test fleet. Despite this, GE Aerospace confirmed that there are no issues with the GE9X turbofan, the largest and most powerful commercial jet engine ever built.