It has been 30 years since the Boeing 777 made its entry into service with launch customer United Airlines, marking the operational beginning of one of the most celebrated and successful widebody aircraft programs of all time. Since then, the 777 has served nearly four billion passengers, with Boeing delivering over 1,750 777 aircraft to almost 100 customers around the globe.

It won’t be too long before the next generation of the 777 family, the Boeing 777X, makes its debut, with the planemaker expecting the upcoming widebody to enter service in 2027. To mark the 777’s 30th anniversary, Boeing has released a video with its employees expressing their appreciation to the aircraft’s diverse customer base in over 20 languages.

The 777 Has Been Flying For Over 30 Years

In June 1995, United Airlines completed its first revenue flight with Boeing’s newest airplane: the high-capacity, long-range widebody 777. The original variant of the 777 was the 777-200, with Boeing later releasing the stretched 777-300, as well as Extended Range (ER) versions of its long-haul jet. The delivery of the first-ever Boeing 777 took place a month earlier, with United welcoming N777UA, named ‘The Ship of the Future,’ on May 15, 1995.

The 777’s inaugural passenger flight was UA921 from London Heathrow (LHR) to Washington Dulles (IAD). At over 30 years old, this airframe remained in service up until last month, when it was withdrawn from United’s fleet and flown to Victorville Airport (VCV), a desert airport typically used for long-term aircraft storage or dismantling.

Yuki and Yoko Kojima, along with their daughter Seira, are a family who have each been part of the 777 program over the years. Yuki was initially a 777 structural engineer before moving to sales and marketing, while Yoko is a customer engineer working with airlines to configure the 777X, and daughter Seira is a flight test engineer for the 777X. The family shared a message in Japanese:

« Thank you for supporting the 777 for 30 years. We look forward to continuing to work with you. Thank you very much. »

Inside The 777s Remarkable Numbers

According to Boeing, the 777 is closing in on four billion passengers transported over its three decades in service, with the global 777 fleet logging approximately 49 billion miles flown, which is the equivalent of more than 237,000 trips to the moon and back.

The 777 holds several important milestones in commercial aviation, including the world’s longest ever flight without refueling, completed back in 2005 with an 11,664 nautical miles (21,601 km) flight from Hong Kong to London that was airborne for almost 23 hours.

Looking at data from ch-aviation, there are almost 1,350 Boeing 777s listed as active. Emirates remains the world’s largest 777 operator with almost 130 aircraft in its fleet, almost all of which are the 777-300ER model. The 777-300ER is the most popular variant of the 777 family with over 830 deliveries, while the 777-200ER is next at 422 deliveries.

The Future Of The Program

The 777 played a crucial role in helping Boeing cement its position as the global leader in widebody aircraft. While the company’s 747 and 767 products were already doing well by the 1990s, it was the 777 that truly pushed Boeing ahead of its rivals in the widebody market.

With over 1,750 aircraft delivered and a total of over 2,300 on order (including 777X orders), approximately two-thirds of the global widebody fleet is a Boeing-made aircraft. The 777X will be the next member of the 777 family, with Boeing touting the widebody as a game-changer for long-haul flying.

So far, the company has attracted over 600 commitments for the 777X, with a large chunk of those orders coming from Emirates. The Dubai-based carrier has an orderbook of 270 aircraft, while other notable customers for the type include Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines.