Is It True That The Boeing 777X’s Composite Wing Took Longer To Build Than The Entire 787 Program?

It is broadly true to say that it’s taken longer for Boeing to develop the large Boeing 777X composite wing with folding wingtips than it took for it to develop the cleansheet Boeing 787. However, there is nuance in the detail. The bigger issue is not the design and production of the wings themselves, but the certification work for them. While it is true that the novel folding wingtips are contributing to the certification delays, other factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, the MAX crashes, and other aspects of the Boeing 777X are also contributing.