Boeing unveils world's longest passenger plane, 777X amidst controversies trailing 737 MAX 8

(CNN) — The longest passenger jetliner in the world just made its debut.

On March 13, the very first Boeing 777X was presented to company employees, inside the airframer's main wide-body manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington.

Boeing had planned to unveil the jetliner on Wednesday, but delayed the debut following the crash of its aircraft in Ethiopia. The event was simplified to respect the recent loss of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

At 252 feet, the 777X is longer than its predecessor, the 777-300ER, and the super-stretched Airbus A340-600.

It'll even be longer by a nose than the current record-holder, the 747-8, the latest version of Boeing's own "Queen of the Skies" whose aviation-changing ancestor flew 50 years ago.

With its maiden test flight expected later this spring, the 777-9 is the larger of the two 777X models that make up Boeing's jetliner program.