By Howard Hardee \u2022 Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n October 8, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Folding wingtips could be considered something of a proven concept since they are a signature feature of the 777X. But before such technology can enable greater wingspans on the eventual successors to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max families, several technical challenges still must be resolved.<\/p>\n Boeing has demonstrated the viability of folding wingtips on widebody jets. With its 235-foot wingspan, the 777-9 would not fit at airport gates and in taxiways without them. (FAA airport specifications<\/a><\/strong> show the 777-9\u2019s folded wingspan measuring 213 feet.) That means airports do not have to alter infrastructure to accommodate the aircraft.<\/p>\n More importantly for operational economics, the 777-9\u2019s folding wingtips\u2014and the in-flight wingspan extension they allow\u2014are critical for delivering airframe efficiency gains over the 777 Classic.<\/p>\n Boeing says the 777X\u2019s high-span composite wing achieves more-efficient aerodynamics than those of the A350-1000, against which it will compete upon certification. Photo credit: Boeing<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The 777-9 took its first test flight<\/a> <\/strong>in January 2020, though it has yet to achieve FAA certification and enter passenger-carrying service. How the folding wingtip mechanisms hold up during airline operations has yet to be observed.<\/p>\n On the military side, several carrier aircraft have featured folding wings for deck storage. But there is no civil air transport equivalent to the 777X\u2019s high-span composite wings with folding wingtips.<\/p>\n Sue Partridge, head of Airbus\u2019 Wing of Tomorrow program, told Leeham News and Analysis (LNA)<\/strong> during this year\u2019s Farnborough International Airshow that applying folding wing technology to future narrowbody jets will be more demanding.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big challenge because if you think about a single-aisle product, it flies very, very frequently,\u201d she said. \u201cA 777 may takeoff and land once in a day. If you put this technology on a single-aisle aircraft, we need to know that it\u2019s going to reliably fold and unfold multiple times a day as it does multiple flights. Achieving the same levels of operational reliability that we have on our existing A320 fleet is vital.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Airbus and Boeing are exploring longer composite wing structures for future aircraft platforms. Airbus has been studying such technologies through its Wing of Tomorrow program for the past decade, while Boeing is considering thin-wing technology that to provide efficiency gains.<\/p>\n Boeing\u2019s thin-wing concept was initially part of the X-66 Transonic Truss-Braced Wing<\/a><\/strong> airframe configuration that it explored with NASA. The partners have since\u00a0paused work<\/a><\/strong> on the demonstrator, dropping the \u201caerodynamic, structural braces\u201d and focusing on the thin wings alone.<\/p>\n Boeing looked at a truss-braced wing design for future airliners, though it and NASA have since narrowed focus. Photo credit: NASA<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Whether Boeing\u2019s thin-wing concept would require folding wingtips is unclear; Airbus is more openly exploring such a configuration. Both airframers have identified technical issues that must be resolved in order to lengthen the wingspans of their next narrowbodies.<\/p>\n The Wing of Tomorrow program is aimed at \u201cpreparing the technologies that Airbus will need for its next-generation single-aisle aircraft,\u201d Partridge said. It is part of the company\u2019s broader efforts to leverage decades of design, engineering and production experience to advance its commercial products.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of those important improvements is about the efficiency of the aircraft, to reduce fuel burn and to reduce operating costs, as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n At the Farnborough show, Airbus launched a development program<\/a><\/strong> to install longer wings on an A321neo and pursue a flight-test campaign. Wingtips on the Wing of Tomorrow demonstrator will be fixed but assume the same size and shape of folding wingtips.<\/p>\n Airbus believes that new wing technology will boost overall efficiency as much as new engines on the next single-aisle jet\u2014likely referencing a next-generation turbofan rather than the open-fan design being explored by CFM International\u2019s RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a really important lever for efficiency, and the way you improve that efficiency is through wingspan,\u201d Partridge said.<\/p>\n Longer, lighter and more-slender wings reduce drag, fuel burn and CO2 emissions. But building wingspans broad enough to realize those efficiency gains creates logistical problems\u2013namely, not fitting at narrowbody gates at airports. Hence the folding wingtips.<\/p>\n \u201cIn simple terms, the aircraft will land and as it taxis to the terminal, a portion of the wing will unlatch and fold out of the way,\u201d Partridge said. \u201cWhen the aircraft is in reverse, taxiing back out to fly, the wings will unfold and latch and lock into place, ready for flight.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a complex technology because it involves integrating a very reliable system in a very small space on the wing that\u2019s able to actuate and lift quite a large section [of the wing] that is several meters,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Notably, Airbus has yet to determine whether the folding section of the next-generation wing will feature actuators such as ailerons, or whether that will be an unmoving section of the wing during flight. The folding wingtips on the Wing of Tomorrow\u2019s A321neo demonstrator (highlighted in orange below) will be about 15 feet long.<\/p>\n Flight-testing of the A321neo demonstrator will follow a three-year development period. Photo credit: Airbus<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still studying that part\u2026so we can really understand the aerodynamic performance, and that will help us to then know exactly what the folding wing needs to look like and potentially whether it needs any kind of moving surfaces on it,\u201d Partridge said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know yet. But of course, we don\u2019t want to add any complexity that we don\u2019t need that doesn\u2019t bring value.\u201d<\/p>\n Challenges come with thinner wings, however. Speaking at an investor conference earlier this year, Jay Malave, Boeing\u2019s chief financial officer, said that systems integration becomes more difficult<\/a><\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf you think about thin wings, obviously, we\u2019re trying to push the next generation of aerodynamics there. What is the challenge with thin wings?\u201d Malave said. \u201cObviously, there are systems integration challenges. The thinner you make the wing, the harder it is to integrate systems. Think fuel systems but also think actuation.\u201d<\/p>\n At a separate event, Brian Yutko, Boeing\u2019s vice president of product development, got more specific. It is unclear, for example, to what degree future wing architectures will feature hydraulic versus electromechanical actuation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know the answer to that question,\u201d Yutko said. \u201cWe know that we\u2019re in a part of the technology curve where you can really start to push electromechanical actuation so that they can be pretty efficiently packaged.\u201d<\/p>\n Producing mostly composite wings at a high enough rate to support a future narrowbody program\u2014which may demand north of 100 aircraft monthly\u2013is another mountain to climb, with composite wing skins presenting particular difficulties. Partridge is \u201cvery optimistic\u201d that Airbus\u2019 next-generation wing will be produced at sufficient scale, adding that the Wing of Tomorrow program has always operated with high rates in mind.<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Howard Hardee \u2022 Editor October 8, 2026 Folding wingtips could be considered something of a proven concept since they are a signature feature of the 777X. But before such technology can enable greater wingspans on the eventual successors to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max families, several technical challenges still must be resolved. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7080395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12027],"tags":[12585,12576,4027,2545,19823,57434,383,241042,241043,82958,241044],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7080394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-airbus","tag-airbus","tag-boeing","tag-challenge","tag-folding","tag-jets","tag-narrowbody","tag-present","tag-transonic-truss-braced-wing","tag-wing-of-tomorrow","tag-wingtips","tag-x-66"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/leehamnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Boeing-777x-underbelly-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nLong Wings and Efficiency Gains\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/leehamnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Truss-braced-demonstrators-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFolding Wingtips Are the Future\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/leehamnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/A321Wing-of-Tomorrow.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSystems in a Smaller Space<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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