| Boeing 777 | |
|---|---|
| Emirates is the largest operator of the Boeing 777, having acquired each 777 family variant;[1][2] the carrier has 90 –300ER models on order.[3][4] |
The Boeing 777 is a long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the commercial business unit of Boeing. Commonly referred to as "Triple Seven",[5] it is the largest twinjet and the world's longest-range airliner.[6] The 777 can accommodate between 301 and 365 passengers in a three-class layout,[7] and has a range of 5,235 to 9,380 nautical miles (9,695 to 17,370 km), depending on the model. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines,[8] the 777 was designed to replace older wide-body airliners and bridge the capacity difference between the 767 and 747.
The 777 is produced in two fuselage lengths. The original 777-200 model first entered service in 1995, followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997;[9] the stretched 777-300, which is 33.3 ft (10.1 m) longer, began service in 1998. The longer-range 777-300ER and 777-200LR variants entered service in 2004 and 2006, respectively, while a freighter version, the 777F, debuted in 2009.[9]
United Airlines first placed the 777 into commercial airline service in 1995. The most common variant used worldwide is the 777-200ER, with 415 aircraft delivered,[4] and Emirates operates the largest 777 fleet, with 87 aircraft.[10] The most widely-sought variant is the 777-300ER, with 533 orders to date.[4] As of July 2011, 1,269 Boeing 777s, of all variants, have been ordered, and 956 have been delivered.[4]
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United Airlines placed the launch order for the 777 program on October 14, 1990 when it purchased 34 Pratt & Whitney PW4084-powered 777-200s valued at US$11 billion with options on an additional 34.[11][12] Subsequent versions of the 777, including the 777-200ER, 777-200LR, 777-300, 777-300ER, and 777F, have been launched by Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The following table lists milestone dates for each model of the aircraft.[13]
| Model | Launch order | Launch customer | Go-ahead | Rollout | Maiden flight | Certification | First Delivery | Service entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 777-200 |
October 15, 1990 | United Airlines | October 29, 1990 | April 9, 1994 | June 12, 1994 | April 19, 1995 | May 15, 1995 | June 7, 1995 |
| 777-200ER |
June 14, 1991 | British Airways | October 29, 1990 | September 3, 1996 | October 7, 1996 | January 17, 1997 | February 6, 1997 | February 9, 1997 |
| 777-200LR |
February 27, 2000 | PIA | February 29, 2000 | February 15, 2005 | March 8, 2005 | February 2, 2006 | February 27, 2006 | March 3, 2006 |
| 777-300 |
June 14, 1995 | Cathay Pacific | June 26, 1995 | September 8, 1997 | October 16, 1997 | May 4, 1998 | May 21, 1998 | May 27, 1998 |
| 777-300ER |
March 31, 2000 | Air France | February 29, 2000 | November 14, 2002 | February 24, 2003 | March 16, 2004 | April 29, 2004 | May 10, 2004 |
| 777F |
May 24, 2005 | Air France | May 24, 2005 | May 21, 2008 | July 14, 2008 | February 6, 2009 | February 19, 2009 | February 22, 2009 |
The 777-200 entered into service with United Airlines on June 7, 1995 with its first flight from London Heathrow Airport to Dulles International Airport.[14] From day one, the 777 was awarded 180-minute ETOPS clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration, making it the first airliner to carry an ETOPS-180 clearance into service.[15] This would later be increased to 207 minutes by October 1996.note 1 British Airways placed the first model with General Electric GE90-77B engines into service on November 17, 1995.[16] The first Rolls-Royce Trent 877-powered aircraft was delivered to Thai Airways International on March 31, 1996, completing the introduction of the three power-plants initially developed for the airliner.[17]
In July 2009, Emirates surpassed Singapore Airlines as the biggest 777 operator, when the 78th aircraft was delivered.[18] Through 2010, Emirates is the largest Boeing 777 operator, with 86 aircraft;[10][10] the carrier began phasing out older −200s, −200ERs and −300s in February 2011,[19] but as of May 2011 has 47 additional −300ER orders scheduled for delivery.[4] Other primary operators are Singapore Airlines (with 66 aircraft),[10] Air France (58)[10] and United Airlines (52),[10] the launch customer. As of November 2011, 52 airline customers operate variants of the Boeing 777. The following table lists of active operators of the aircraft as of November 2011.[20]
| Operators[4] | 777-200 | 777-200ER | 777-200LR | 777-300 | 777-300ER | 777F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroLogic | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 8 |
| Aeromexico | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Air Austral | – | 3 | – | – | 3 | – | 6 |
| Air Canada | – | – | 6 | – | 12 | – | 18 |
| Air China | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Air France | – | 25 | – | – | 34 | 2 | 61 |
| Air India | – | – | 8 | – | 12 | – | 20 |
| Air New Zealand | – | 8 | – | – | 4 | – | 11 |
| Alitalia | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| All Nippon Airways | 16 | 7 | – | 7 | 19 | – | 56 |
| American Airlines | – | 47 | – | – | – | – | 47 |
| Asiana Airlines | – | 11 | – | – | – | – | 11 |
| Austrian Airlines | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| British Airways | 3 | 43 | – | – | 3 | – | 49 |
| Cathay Pacific | 5 | – | – | 12 | 24 | – | 41 |
| China Cargo Airlines | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 |
| China Southern | 4 | 6 | – | – | – | 5 | 15 |
| Delta Air Lines | – | 8 | 10 | – | – | – | 18 |
| EgyptAir | – | 5 | – | – | 6 | – | 11 |
| El Al | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Emirates | 3 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 54 | 2 | 87 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | – | – | 5 | – | – | – | 4 |
| Etihad Airways | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | 7 |
| EuroAtlantic Airways Air Madagascar |
– | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| EVA Air | – | – | – | – | 15 | – | 15 |
| FedEx Express | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 12 |
| Japan Airlines | 15 | 11 | – | 7 | 13 | – | 46 |
| Jet Airways | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | 3 |
| Kenya Airways | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| KLM | – | 15 | – | – | 5 | – | 20 |
| Korean Air | – | 18 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 29 |
| Kuwait Airways | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| LAN Airlines | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| Malaysia Airlines | – | 17 | – | – | – | – | 17 |
| Omni Air | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Orenair | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Pakistan International | – | 4 | 2 | – | 3 | – | 9 |
| Philippine Airlines | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | 2 |
| Qatar Airways | – | – | 9 | – | 16 | 3 | 28 |
| Royal Brunei | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Saudi Arabian | – | 23 | – | – | – | – | 23 |
| Scoot [plan to start 2nd qtr. 2012] |
4 [planned] |
– | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Singapore Airlines | – | 35 | – | 12 | 19 | – | 66 |
| Southern Air | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| TAAG Angola Airlines | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| TAM Airlines | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | 4 |
| Thai Airways | 8 | 6 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 23 |
| Transaero Airlines | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | – | – | 9 |
| Turkish Airlines | – | – | – | – | 13 | – | 13 |
| United Airlines | 19 | 55 | – | – | – | – | 74 |
| Vietnam Airlines | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Virgin Australia | – | – | – | – | 5 | – | 5 |
| Total | 85 | 411 | 48 | 60 | 281 | 39 | 924 |
The title of largest 777 operator has changed hands several times during the aircraft's history. Singapore Airlines' order for up to 77 aircraft on November 15, 1995 constituted the largest-ever wide-body aircraft purchase at the time.[21] The purchase comprised 34 firm orders and 43 options for the 777-200ER, all to be powered Trent 800 series engines, and was valued at US$12.7 billion.[21] The number of 777 customers had grown to 25 airlines by June 1997, with 323 aircraft on order.[22] On August 26, 2004, Singapore Airlines followed up with a US$4 billion order for the 777-300ER, including 18 firm orders and 13 options.[23] The combined orders would make the carrier's 777 fleet number 77 when deliveries were complete.[23]
On November 20, 2005, Emirates placed the largest firm order for the 777.[2] Totaling 42 aircraft, including 24 −300ERs, ten −200LRs and eight 777Fs, the purchase was reportedly worth US$9.7 billion.[2] The Middle Eastern carrier followed up with another order for 30 −300ERs at the 2010 Farnborough Airshow.[24]
The following table lists of orders and deliveries of the aircraft as of November 2011.[4] This does not include leases or sub-leases of any kind, subsequent sales, scrapping or storing of aircraft.
| Customers[4] | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 777-200 | 777-200ER | 777-200LR | 777-300 | 777-300ER | 777F | Total | ||||||||
| Aeroflot * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16 | – | – | – | 16 | – |
| Air Austral | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 |
| Air Canada | – | – | – | – | 6 | 6 | – | – | 10 | 10 | – | – | 16 | 16 |
| Air China | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 19 | 3 | – | – | 29 | 13 |
| Air France | – | – | 18 | 18 | – | – | – | – | 36 | 29 | 5 | 5 | 59 | 52 |
| Air India | – | – | – | – | 8 | 8 | – | – | 15 | 12 | – | – | 23 | 20 |
| Air New Zealand | – | – | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | – | – | 9 | 8 |
| ALC * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | – | – | – | 5 | – |
| Alitalia | – | – | 6 | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 6 |
| All Nippon Airways | 16 | 16 | 12 | 7 | – | – | 7 | 7 | 19 | 19 | – | – | 54 | 49 |
| American Airlines | – | – | 53 | 47 | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | 60 | 47 |
| Asiana Airlines | – | – | 10 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 8 |
| Austrian Airlines | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Biman Bangladesh Airlines* | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 2 | – | – | 4 | 2 |
| BOC Aviation | – | – | 2 | 2 | – | – | 4 | 4 | 8 | – | – | – | 14 | 6 |
| British Airways | 5 | 5 | 44 | 44 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 51 | 50 |
| Business Jet / VIP Customer(s) | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| Cathay Pacific | 5 | 5 | – | – | – | – | 12 | 12 | 46 | 20 | 8 | – | 71 | 37 |
| Ceiba | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| China Southern Airlines | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 5 | 12 | 11 |
| Continental Airlines | – | – | 20 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | 20 |
| Delta Air Lines | – | – | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | 18 |
| Deucalion Capital VII Limited | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Dubai Aerospace Enterprise | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 3 | 13 | 3 |
| EgyptAir | – | – | 5 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 5 |
| El Al | – | – | 6 | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 6 |
| Emirates | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | – | – | 120 | 30 | – | – | 139 | 49 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | – | – | – | – | 5 | 5 | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | 9 | 5 |
| Etihad Airways | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 9 |
| EVA Air | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 15 | – | – | 15 | 15 |
| FedEx Express | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27 | 14 | 27 | 14 |
| Garuda Indonesia * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | 10 | – |
| GECAS | – | – | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 47 | 30 | 10 | 8 | 61 | 42 |
| Guggenheim Aviation Partners | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| ILFC | – | – | 43 | 43 | – | – | 8 | 8 | 28 | 28 | – | – | 79 | 79 |
| Japan Airlines | 15 | 15 | 11 | 11 | – | – | 7 | 7 | 13 | 13 | – | – | 46 | 46 |
| Jet Airways | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 10 | – | – | 12 | 10 |
| Kenya Airways | – | – | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 |
| KLM | – | – | 6 | 6 | – | – | – | – | 6 | 4 | – | – | 12 | 10 |
| Korean Air | – | – | 18 | 18 | – | – | 4 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 5 | – | 40 | 30 |
| Kuwait Airways | – | – | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| LAN Airlines * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | – |
| Lauda Air | – | – | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 3 |
| Lufthansa Cargo * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | – | 5 | – |
| Malaysia Airlines | – | – | 15 | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 15 |
| Mid East Jet | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Oak Hill | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Pakistan International Airlines | – | – | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 3 | 3 | – | – | 8 | 8 |
| Philippine Airlines * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | 4 | – |
| Qatar Airways | – | – | – | – | 9 | 9 | – | – | 25 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 28 |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | – | – | 23 | 23 | – | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | – | 35 | 23 |
| Saudi Oger | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Singapore Airlines | – | – | 46 | 46 | – | – | 12 | 12 | 27 | 19 | – | – | 85 | 77 |
| TAAG Angola Airlines | – | – | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | – | – | 5 | 5 |
| TAM Airlines | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 4 | – | – | 12 | 4 |
| Thai Airways International | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | – | – | 6 | 6 | 6 | – | – | – | 26 | 20 |
| Turkish Airlines | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 12 | – | – | 12 | 12 |
| Turkmenistan Airlines | – | – | – | – | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 1 |
| Unidentified customer(s) * | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | – | 12 | – | 32 | – |
| United Airlines | 22 | 22 | 38 | 38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 60 | 60 |
| Vietnam Airlines | – | – | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 |
| Virgin Australia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 | – | – | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 88 | 88 | 428 | 415 | 57 | 54 | 60 | 60 | 603 | 308 | 121 | 52 | 1357 | 977 |
| Backlog | – | 13 | 3 | – | 295 | 69 | 380 | |||||||
The following table lists of orders and deliveries by year, as of end of November 2011.[4]
| Orders | Deliveries | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total | Backlog | Total | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 |
| 777-200 | 88 | 88 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 32 | 13 | |||||||
| 777-200ER | 428 | 13 | 415 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 23 | 13 | 22 | 29 | 41 | 55 | 42 | 63 | 50 | 48 | ||
| 777-200LR | 57 | 3 | 54 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 777-300 | 60 | 60 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 14 | |||||||||
| 777-300ER | 603 | 295 | 308 | 47 | 40 | 52 | 47 | 53 | 39 | 20 | 10 | |||||||||
| 777F | 121 | 69 | 52 | 14 | 22 | 16 | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 1,357 | 380 | 977 | 67 | 74 | 88 | 61 | 83 | 65 | 40 | 36 | 39 | 47 | 61 | 55 | 83 | 74 | 59 | 32 | 13 |
Other airlines that had operated 777s but are not listed in the above order table due to the aircraft being leased/sub-leased rather than direct customer orders, were Air Algerie (-200, 2)[25] and Gulf Air (-300ER, 4),[25] though Gulf Air had originally placed a direct order for 4 of the -200s which was cancelled later.
Defunct carriers Air Europe (Italy) (-200ER, 2),[25] Khalifa Airways (-200, 2)[25] and the original Varig (-200/-200ER, 4 each).[25]
Another defunct airline Japan Air System (-200, 7),[25] was a direct Boeing customer order where its listed as JAL Domestic, rebranded after having merged with Japan Airlines in 2001. The division was later also absorbed into mainline JAL, the carrier is not in the customer order table as both JAS brand and JAL Domestic division ceased to exist.
Lauda Air was another direct Boeing customer and the only previous operator that has been included in the customer order table, because the brand name under which they ordered the aircraft is still active, even after merger with Austrian Airlines in 2004, who took over all of their 777s.
A former operator Aeroflot (-200ER, 2)[25] flew them till early 2000s and is now back having ordered the -300ER. Royal Brunei (-200ER, 2)[25] were to get these few years ago and had even painted one of the aircraft in their colours but never took delivery of them, are now operating the type through a new deal.