The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap between Boeing's 767 and 747, and to replace older DC-10s and L-1011s. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, with a first meeting in January 1990, the program was launched on October 14, 1990, with an order from United Airlines. The prototype was rolled out on April 9, 1994, and first flew on June 12, 1994. The 777 entered service with the launch customer, United Airlines, on June 7, 1995. Longer range variants were launched on February 29, 2000, and were first delivered on April 29, 2004.
It can accommodate a ten–abreast seating layout and has a typical 3-class capacity of 301 to 368 passengers, with a range of 5,240 to 8,555 nautical miles (9,700 to 15,840 km). It is recognizable for its large-diameter turbofan engines, six wheels on each main landing gear, fully circular fuselage cross-section, and a blade-shaped tail cone. It is the first Boeing aircraft with fly-by-wire controls. It initially competed with the Airbus A340 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, both now out of production, and as of 2021 competes with the Airbus A350 XWB and A330-900.
The original 777 with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 545,000–660,000 lb (247–299 t) was produced in two fuselage lengths: the initial -200 was followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997; and the 33.25 ft (10.13 m) longer 777-300 in 1998. Those 777 Classics were powered by 77,200–98,000 lbf (343–436 kN) General Electric GE90, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, or Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. The longer-range 777-300ER, with a MTOW of 766,000–775,000 lb (347–352 t), entered service in 2004, the ultra long-range 777-200LR in 2006, and the 777F freighter in 2009. These long haul variants use 110,000–115,300 lbf (489–513 kN) GE90 engines and have extended raked wingtips. In November 2013, Boeing announced the 777X development with the -8 and -9 variants, both featuring composite wings with folding wingtips and General Electric GE9X engines.
The 777 Freighter (777F) is an all-cargo version of the twinjet, and shares features with the -200LR; these include its airframe, engines, and fuel capacity. With a maximum payload of 228,700 lb (103,700 kg) (similar to the 243,000 lb (110,000 kg) of the Boeing 747-200F), it has a maximum range of 9,750 nmi (18,057 km) or 4,970 nmi (9,200 km) at its max structural payload.
The 777F also features a new supernumerary area, which includes four business-class seats forward of the rigid cargo barrier, full main deck access, bunks, and a galley.
As the aircraft promises improved operating economics compared to older freighters,[98] airlines have viewed the 777F as a replacement for freighters such as the Boeing 747-200F, McDonnell Douglas MD-10 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11F. The first 777F was delivered to Air France on February 19, 2009. As of August 2019, 170 freighters had been delivered to 23 different customers, with 60 unfilled orders. Operators had 140 of the 777F in service as of July 2018.
In the 2000s, Boeing began studying the conversion of 777-200ER and -200 passenger airliners into freighters, under the name 777 BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter). The company has been in discussion with several airline customers, including FedEx Express, UPS Airlines, and GE Capital Aviation Services, to provide launch orders for a 777 BCF program.
AirBridgeCargo Airlines LLC part of Volga-Dnepr Group, is the largest Russian cargo airline. It operates scheduled cargo services on routes between Russia, Asia, Europe and North America, covering more than 30 destinations worldwide. All flights connect to their hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk.
The company entered the scheduled cargo market in April 1, 2004 when the first AirBridgeCargo branded Boeing 747 made its inaugural commercial flight on route from Beijing to Luxembourg. This milestone for Volga-Dnepr Group was the realization of two years of preliminary work to build the airline's fleet, network, management and personnel. During two years of follow-up ABC continued its development with expansion of network in Asia and Europe and enlargement of its Boeing 747 freighter fleet. In November 2006 AirBridgeCargo received its own air operator's certificate, thus becoming an independent scheduled cargo airline within Volga-Dnepr Group. The carrier was the first Russian company to deploy Boeing 747-400F and Boeing 747-8F into its fleet in 2007 and 2012 respectively and to start transpolar flights on the Hong Kong – Chicago route.