Boeing Co said late Sunday it will postpone the planned ceremonial debut of its 777X widebody aircraft after Sunday's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that left 157 dead.

A Boeing spokesman said there was no delay to the 777X programme.

Boeing said that after the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 it is focused on "supporting" the airline and would not proceed with Wednesday's planned debut of the 777X in Seattle.

"We will look for an opportunity to mark the new plane with the world in the near future," the company said.