DUBAI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) plans to lay out the

path to certification of its much-delayed 777x mini-jumbo

programme in contacts with airlines at this week's Dubai Airshow

rather than use the event to maximise new order announcements, a

high-level executive said on Sunday.

Boeing ( BA ) last month announced a new delay and took a

$4.9 billion charge for its largest twin-engined plane, pushing

deliveries to 2027, seven years later than originally planned.

"We always want to fight, compete and win but it's not about

orders for me in the next two to three days," Boeing Commercial

Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope said ahead of the November 17-21

show.

"It's about engaging ... and being transparent with our

customers, highlighting the progress ...and then any issues or

concerns that they have," Pope added.

Pope was speaking after the head of host carrier Emirates,

which is the largest customer for the jet, told Aviation Week he

had been "miffed" to learn about the delay from the media.

Asked about the comments at a pre-show briefing, Pope

avoided commenting directly on discussions with Emirates but

said it was "unacceptable to me for any of our customers to be

surprised, and our focus is to be as transparent as possible".

Pope confirmed an Air Current report that Boeing ( BA ) had won

regulatory approval to proceed to the next and most important

phase of certification trials for the 777X.

Jetliner demand remains strong, she told reporters.

Boeing ( BA ) leads this year's order race against Airbus

after a surge of orders timed to coincide with a visit to the

Gulf by U.S. President Donald Trump in May, prompting analysts

to predict a quieter than usual Dubai Airshow.

It is expected to announce an order from flydubai at the

event, although Airbus is expected to win part of the business

from the previously all-Boeing ( BA ) airline following back-and-forth

negotiations leading up to the show, industry sources have said.

The carrier's CEO told Reuters last year that its next order

would be a record one after it bought 175 Boeing ( BA ) planes in 2017.