The new Boeing 777X

On the 25th of January 2020, after months of delays and issues, Boeing’s newly developed 777-9X aircraft took on the sky for the first time. The 777-9X is the world’s longest and largest twin engine airliner. It is also the widest twin engine wide body aircraft as well. The aircraft is intended to replace the current 777-300ER and help many airliners around the world modernize and retire their older fleets of 747’s and A340’s.

Being 251 feet long, the 777-9 variant is the longest commercial airliner ever built. With a fuselage stretch of 9.4 feet over its predecessor 777-300ER, the 777-9 is able to accommodate up to three additional rows of economy seats 10 abreast, for a total of up to 426 passengers in a typical two class configuration. And as the production of the A380 and the 747-8 comes to an end, the 777-9X will stand alone as the largest passenger capacity airliner being built.

Technical specifications :

The 777-9X is equipped with the most powerful engines ever mounted on a commercial airliner: General Electric GE9X. These develop an incredible 105,000 pounds of thrust apiece.

Each wing on the 777-9 is the largest single composite structure in the world.
So it can fit on the same gates, taxiways and runways as other airplanes, Boeing has designed distinctive 11-foot folding wingtips that deploy just before take-off and retract upon landing.

Technologies used to develop the 787 Dreamliner was also integrated into the 777X project.

The 777X is claimed by Boeing to deliver a net efficiency gain of 13% on a cost per seat basis, compared to the 365-seat 777-300ER, with a 29% reduction in emissions. Boeing says its newest flagship is 22% more efficient than the world’s largest airliner, the A380.

A lower cabin altitude of 5,000 feet versus the typical airliner’s 8,000 feet reduces the effects of fatigue and jet lag. The 777X also has higher levels of humidity to abate dehydration, cleaner air, less cabin noise and smoother ride technology.

Boeing projects the 777X-9 will enter service in late 2021 with Lufthansa. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and ANA have also placed orders.

Boeing has 308 firm orders and 300 options of these $440-million aircraft (at list prices, though discounts can reduce cost by half).