Editing Boeing 777 (section)

=== Second generation (777-X): -300ER/-200LR/F ===
{{anchor|Second generation models}}
[[File:Engine of Jet Airways Boeing 777-300ER.jpg|thumb|The more powerful [[General Electric GE90|GE90]] engine of later variants has a 128 in (330 cm) diameter fan up from 123 in (310 cm) in earlier variants, and curved blades instead of straight ones.|alt= Aircraft engine, forward-facing view with a Boeing engineer in front to demonstrate the engine's size. The engine's large circular intake contains a central hub with a swirl mark, surrounded by multiple curved fan blades.]]

From the program's start, Boeing had considered building [[Non-stop flight|ultra-long-range]] variants.<ref name="Norris and Wagner p. 165">{{Harvnb|Norris|Wagner|1999|p=165}}</ref> Early plans centered on a 777-100X proposal,<ref name="norris165">{{Harvnb|Norris|Wagner|1999|pp=165–167}}</ref> a shortened variant of the -200 with reduced weight and increased range,<ref name=norris165/> similar to the [[Boeing 747SP|747SP]].<ref name="777-100X">{{cite web |last=Norris |first=Guy |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/15/16991/boeing-sets-decision-date-for-new-versions-of-777.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414031554/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/15/16991/boeing-sets-decision-date-for-new-versions-of-777.html |archive-date=April 14, 2009 |title=Boeing sets decision date for new versions of 777 |work=Flight International |date=May 15, 1996 |access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref> However, the -100X would have carried fewer passengers than the -200 while having similar operating costs, leading to a higher cost per seat.<ref name=norris165/><ref name="777-100X"/> By the late 1990s, design plans shifted to longer-range versions of existing models.<ref name=norris165/>

In March 1997, the Boeing board approved the 777-200X/300X specifications: 298 passengers in three classes over 8,600&nbsp;nmi (15,900&nbsp;km; {{cvt|8600|nmi|mi|disp=output only}}) for the 200X and {{cvt|12,200|km|nmi|disp=output only}} (12,200&nbsp;km; {{cvt|12,200|km|mi|disp=output only}}) with 355 passengers in a tri-class layout for the 300X, with design freeze planned in May 1998, 200X certification in August 2000, and introduction in September and in January 2001 for the 300X.<ref name=Flight5mar1997/> The {{cvt|1.37|m|ft|order=flip}} wider wing was to be strengthened and the fuel capacity enlarged, and it was to be powered by simple derivatives with similar fans.<ref name=Flight5mar1997/> GE was proposing a {{cvt|454|kN|lbf|order=flip}} GE90-102B, while P&W offered its {{cvt|436|kN|lbf|order=flip}} PW4098 and R-R was proposing a {{cvt|437|kN|lbf|order=flip}} Trent 8100.<ref name=Flight5mar1997>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/as-board-approves-777-200x300x-specifications-23/ |title=...as board approves 777-200X/300X specifications |date=March 5, 1997 |work=Flight International |access-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-date=August 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821172446/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/as-board-approves-777-200x300x-specifications-23/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Rolls-Royce was also studying a Trent 8102 over {{cvt|445|kN|lbf|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ge-is-first-to-agree-mou-for-777-200x300x-powerplant-13689/ |title=GE is first to agree MoU for 777-200X/300X powerplant |date=March 26, 1997 |work=Flightglobal |access-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919234451/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ge-is-first-to-agree-mou-for-777-200x300x-powerplant-13689/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Boeing was also studying a semi-levered, articulated main gear to help the take-off [[Rotation (aeronautics)|rotation]] of the proposed -300X, with its higher {{cvt|324,600|kg|lb|order=flip}} [[maximum take-off weight]] (MTOW).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing39s-long-stretch-30280/ |title=Boeing's long stretch |date=December 3, 1997 |work=Flightglobal |access-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030093920/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing39s-long-stretch-30280/ |url-status=live}}</ref> By January 1999, its MTOW grew to {{cvt|340500|kg|lb|order=flip}}, and thrust requirements increased to {{cvt|110,000-114,000|lbf|kN}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/initial-trent-8104-tests-reveal-new-growth-potential-47307/ |title=Initial Trent 8104 tests reveal new growth potential |author=Guy Norris/ |date=January 27, 1999 |work=Flightglobal |access-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030125631/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/initial-trent-8104-tests-reveal-new-growth-potential-47307/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

A more powerful engine in the thrust class of {{cvt|100000|lbf|kN}} was required, leading to talks between Boeing and engine manufacturers. General Electric offered to develop the GE90-115B engine,<ref name=777XGE90/> while Rolls-Royce proposed developing the [[Rolls-Royce Trent|Trent 8104]] engine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.janes.com/aerospace/civil/news/jae/jae010213_2_n.shtml |title=Aero-Engines – Rolls-Royce Trent |date=February 13, 2001 |work=[[Jane's Information Group|Jane's Transport Business News]] |access-date=March 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325005849/http://www.janes.com/aerospace/civil/news/jae/jae010213_2_n.shtml |archive-date=March 25, 2008}}</ref> In 1999, Boeing announced an agreement with General Electric, beating out rival proposals.<ref name=777XGE90/> Under the deal with General Electric, Boeing agreed to only offer GE90 engines on new 777 versions.<ref name=777XGE90/>

[[File:FGSQA.jpg|thumb|[[Air France]] received the first 777-300ER on April 29, 2004.]]
On February 29, 2000, Boeing launched its next-generation twinjet program,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/746327/ |title=Boeing launches stretch 777 jetliner |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=February 29, 2000 |access-date=October 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107011722/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/746327/Boeing-launches-stretch-777-jetliner.html |archive-date=November 7, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> initially called 777-X,<ref name="Norris and Wagner p. 165" /> and began issuing offers to airlines.<ref name="eden113" /> Development was slowed by an industry downturn during the early 2000s.<ref name="Boe_777_back" /> The first model to emerge from the program, the 777-300ER, was launched with an order for ten aircraft from [[Air France]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Song |first=Kyung |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20001005/TTKK1QJ4T/air-france-orders-10-777s |title=Air France orders 10 777s |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=October 5, 2000 |access-date=September 15, 2009 |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811212702/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20001005&slug=TTKK1QJ4T |url-status=live}}</ref> along with additional commitments.<ref name="eden113" /> On February 24, 2003, the -300ER made its first flight, and the FAA and EASA ([[European Aviation Safety Agency]], successor to the JAA) certified the model on March 16, 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2004/03/15/daily17.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805090519/http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2004/03/15/daily17.html |archive-date=August 5, 2011 |title=Boeing's 777-300ER receives certification |work=[[Wichita Business Journal]] |last=Dinell |first=David |date=March 16, 2004 |access-date=March 20, 2009}}</ref> The first delivery to Air France took place on April 29, 2004.<ref name="Boe_777_back" /> The -300ER, which combined the -300's added capacity with the -200ER's range, became the top-selling 777 variant in the late 2000s,<ref name="green" /> benefitting as airlines replaced comparable four-engine models with twinjets for their lower operating costs.<ref name="fuelsaver">{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Geoffrey |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/demand-rises-for-fuel-saver-777/story-e6frg95x-1111116616439 |title=Boeing under pressure as demand rises for fuel-saver 777 |work=The Australian |date=June 13, 2008 |access-date=June 20, 2008 |archive-date=April 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430133813/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/demand-rises-for-fuel-saver-777/story-e6frg95x-1111116616439 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The second long-range model, the 777-200LR, rolled out on February 15, 2005, and completed its first flight on March 8, 2005.<ref name="Boe_777_back" /> The -200LR was certified by both the FAA and EASA on February 2, 2006,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/777-distance-champ-is-certified-for-service-1194755.php |title=777 distance champ is certified for service |date=February 3, 2006 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |last=Wallace |first=James |access-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203024802/http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/777-distance-champ-is-certified-for-service-1194755.php |url-status=live}}</ref> and the first delivery to [[Pakistan International Airlines]] occurred on February 26, 2006.<ref name="pia777">{{cite web |url=http://www.dawn.com/2002/11/18/ebr15.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413212450/http://www.dawn.com/2002/11/18/ebr15.htm |archive-date=April 13, 2009 |title=Modernization of PIA fleet |date=November 18, 2008 |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Pakistan Dawn]] |last=Chaudhry |first=Muhammad Bashir |access-date=February 12, 2008}}</ref> On November 10, 2005, the first -200LR set a record for the longest non-stop flight of a passenger airliner by flying {{convert|11664|nmi}} eastward from Hong Kong to London.<ref name="NYT_772LR_record" /> Lasting 22 hours and 42 minutes, the flight surpassed the -200LR's standard design range and was logged in the ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.<ref name="guinness">{{Harvnb|Glenday|2007|p=200}}</ref>

The production freighter model, the 777F, rolled out on May 23, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |last=Trimble |first=Stephen |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/23/224065/boeing-777f-makes-its-debut-ahead-of-flight-test-phase.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526040129/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/23/224065/boeing-777f-makes-its-debut-ahead-of-flight-test-phase.html |archive-date=May 26, 2008 |title=Boeing 777F makes its debut ahead of flight test phase |work=Flight International |date=May 23, 2008 |access-date=June 6, 2008}}</ref> The maiden flight of the 777F, which used the structural design and engine specifications of the -200LR<ref name="Flug777F" /> along with fuel tanks derived from the -300ER, occurred on July 14, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/07/15/225443/picture-boeing-777f-flies-for-the-first-time.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414031626/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/07/15/225443/picture-boeing-777f-flies-for-the-first-time.html |archive-date=April 14, 2009 |last=Ionides |first=Nicholas |title=Boeing 777F flies for the first time |work=Flight International |date=July 15, 2008 |access-date=March 20, 2009}}</ref> FAA and EASA type certification for the freighter was received on February 6, 2009,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/02/06/idUS206466+06-Feb-2009+PRN20090206 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726042139/https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/02/06/idUS206466%2B06-Feb-2009%2BPRN20090206 |archive-date=July 26, 2012 |title=European Aviation Safety Agency Validates FAA Certification of Boeing 777 Freighter |work=Reuters |date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=July 1, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the first delivery to launch customer Air France took place on February 19, 2009.<ref name="af777f">{{cite web |last=Ionides |first=Nicholas |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/02/20/322853/pictures-first-777-freighter-delivered-to-air-france.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221111502/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/02/20/322853/pictures-first-777-freighter-delivered-to-air-france.html |archive-date=February 21, 2009 |title=First 777 freighter delivered to Air France |work=Air Transport Intelligence via [[FlightGlobal]] |access-date=February 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name="777Flaunch">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7962814 |title=Boeing launches cargo version of 777 |agency=Associated Press |date=May 24, 2005 |access-date=March 20, 2009 |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234435/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7962814/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<!-- The prologue to the 'Improvement packages' section -->
By the late 2000s, the 777 was facing increased potential competition from Airbus' planned [[Airbus A350|A350 XWB]] and internally from proposed 787 series,<ref name="777pressure" /> both airliners that offer [[fuel efficiency]] improvements. As a consequence, the 777-300ER received engine and aerodynamics improvement packages for reduced drag and weight.<ref name="enhance" /> In 2010, the variant further received a {{cvt|5000|lb}} [[Maximum Zero-Fuel Weight|maximum zero-fuel weight]] increase, equivalent to a higher payload of 20–25 passengers; its GE90-115B1 engines received a 1–2.5 percent thrust enhancement for increased takeoff weights at higher-altitude airports.<ref name="enhance" /> Through these improvements, the 777 remains the largest twin-engine jetliner in the world.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Grantham |first=Russell |date=February 29, 2008 |title=Delta's new Boeing 777 Can Fly Farther, Carry More |journal=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |quote=Delta will put the new "triple seven" — as airline folks call the jet — into service March 8.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=David |date=March 13, 2009 |title=Workhorse Jet Has Been Huge Success with Airlines that Want to Cut Costs |work=The Times |publisher=Times Newspapers |location=London, England, United Kingdom |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5898240.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612140321/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5898240.ece |archive-date=June 12, 2011}}</ref>

<!-- The prologue to the 'Third generation: 777X' section -->
In 2011, the [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|787 Dreamliner]] entered service, the completed first stage a.k.a. the Yellowstone-2 (Y2) of a replacement aircraft initiative called the [[Boeing Yellowstone Project]],<ref>{{harvnb|Norris|Wagner|2009|pp=32–35.}}</ref> which would replace large variants of the 767 (300/300ER/400) but also small variants of the 777 (-200/200ER/200LR). The larger variants of the 777 (-300/300ER) as well as the 747 could eventually be replaced by a new generation aircraft, the Yellowstone-3 (Y3), which would draw upon technologies from the 787 Dreamliner (Y2).<ref name="777pressure" />  More changes were targeted for late 2012, including possible extension of the [[wingspan]],<ref name="enhance">{{cite news |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/02/349052/world-airliners-order-trickle-continues-for-in-production.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107102327/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/02/349052/world-airliners-order-trickle-continues-for-in-production.html |archive-date=November 7, 2010 |title=Order trickle continues for in-production widebodies |work=Flight International |date=September 8, 2008 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref> along with other major changes, including a [[composite material|composite]] wing, a new generation engine, and different fuselage lengths.<ref name="enhance" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/17/339599/boeing-looks-to-extend-777-wingspan-for-incremental-improvement.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322191835/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/17/339599/boeing-looks-to-extend-777-wingspan-for-incremental-improvement.html |archive-date=March 22, 2010 |title=Boeing looks to extend 777 wingspan for incremental improvement package |author=Ostrower, Jon |work=Flight International |date=September 8, 2008 |access-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/21/358550/paris-boeing-mulls-777-9x.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624185346/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/21/358550/paris-boeing-mulls-777-9x.html |archive-date=June 24, 2011 |title=PARIS: Boeing mulls 777-9X |author=Ostrower, Jon |work=Air Transport Intelligence via [[FlightGlobal]] |date=June 21, 2011 |access-date=July 4, 2011}}</ref> Emirates was reportedly working closely with Boeing on the project, in conjunction with being a potential launch customer for the new 777 generation.<ref>[http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/2011/09/12/emirates-may-be-launch-customer-for-new-boeing-777/ "Emirates may be launch customer for new Boeing 777"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019193711/http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/2011/09/12/emirates-may-be-launch-customer-for-new-boeing-777/ |date=October 19, 2011 }}. ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'', September 12, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.</ref> Among customers for the aircraft during this period, [[China Airlines]] ordered ten 777-300ER aircraft to replace 747-400s on long-haul transpacific routes (with the first of those aircraft entering service in 2015), noting that the 777-300ER's per seat cost is about 20% lower than the 747's costs (varying due to fuel prices).<ref>Perrett, Bradley, Very Chinese, Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 16 – March 1, 2015, pp.38-9</ref>