The first Boeing 777 ever delivered has made its final flight with United Airlines, sending the aircraft to storage after more than 30 years of active service. The aircraft, which is registered as N777UA, was first introduced into service back in 1995. Last week, it made its final trip to Victorville’s Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA), where it will be scrapped for parts.

For Star Alliance carrier United, this Boeing 777-200 has been a vital workhorse in its initial long-haul operations. United was the launch customer for the type, and remains the world’s largest operator.

A Workhorse In The United Airlines Fleet

While in the early days these aircraft were utilized to support the airline’s long-haul network, today they are configured domestically, providing extra capacity on key trunk-line transcontinental routes across the United States, or short-haul international trips. All 777-200 currently in the UA fleet are domestically configured to carry up to 364 passengers across three classes of service: 28 United First, 102 Economy Plus, and 234 Economy.

Using data from ch-aviation, the aircraft took its first test flight for Boeing back on April 25, 1995, where it was then delivered to United Airlines on May 15, 1995, and registered under N777UA. The airplane is fitted with two Pratt & Whitney PW4077 engines.

Throughout its tenure, it has sported many United liveries, including Battleship Gray (which was featured on aircraft between 1993 to 2004), Blue Tulip (2004 to 2010), United / Continental (2010 to 2019), and more recently, the ‘new’ United Livery (since 2019).

Simple Flying reached out to United Airlines for a statement on this iconic aircraft’s final flight; however did not receive an immediate response by the time this article was published.

N777UA Final Weeks Schedule

In recent years, the aircraft has been a workhorse to support domestic and short-haul international operations. The airline, in its last week of service, operated several scheduled transcontinental flights, with one international trip to Cancun International Airport, as outlined below, as per data from Flightradar24:

The airplane, then, took its final flight on November 29 from San Francisco to Victorville, departing for the last time at 11:05, for the 48-minute trip to the California desert, landing at 11:52.

Many airlines send unused or retired airplanes to Victorville due to the dry climate in the Mojave Desert. This dry air prevents corrosion, allowing the aircraft to sit there for extended periods, while also being picked for parks for other aircraft (also known as part harvesting).

A Fond Farewell

United decided to retire, or park, a number of its 777-200 earlier this year due to supply chain challenges surrounding Pratt & Whitney engines, which is an issue across the 777 fleet. The PW4000 specifically has several obstacles to keep in regular service, which is now challenged due to its age.

Today, the Chicago-based carrier has one of the largest commercial airline fleets in the world, with more than 1,000 active aircraft. Of these, around a quarter are widebody and include the Boeing 767-300, 767-400, 777-200, 777-200ER, 777-300ER, 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. Four of its 777-200ERs are in a domestic configuration and are expected to be replaced by the Boeing 787-10.

Other widebody plans for the airline include the gradual replacement of the 767 with an additional 140 new Boeing 787-9, with the Boeing 787-10 set to replace the 777-200 and 777-200ER. The airline also has 45 Airbus A350-900 on order, which aren’t expected to arrive until the next decade, and will replace the internationally configured 777-200ER.

Additionally, the carrier’s narrowbody fleet is composed of the A319-100, A320-200, A321neo, Boeing 737-700, 737-800,737-900, 737 MAX 8, and 737 MAX 9. 167 737 MAX 10, and 50 Airbus A321XLRare on order.