Boeing is currently working on a new edition of the 777 - the 777-9 is scheduled to take off by 2019. The 777 series is widely acclaimed for bridging the capacity difference between smaller jets. This first-class seat is wider than the one you’ll see in business class, but not by much. American’s 777-300ER includes eight first-class flat-bed seats that measure six feet in length and are 30 inches wide — the seat in business class is 26 inches wide — with 64 inches of pitch (78 inches when reclined). The Boeing board of directors authorized production of the 777-300 on June 26, 1995, and the first 777-300 was delivered to Cathay Pacific Airways in June 1998. The 777 was larger than all other twinjet or trijet airplanes but smaller than the 747 and included improvements in airfoil technology, flight deck design, passenger comfort and interior flexibility. The mention of a Boeing 777-300ER refit is intriguing: Cathay's current Boeing 777 first class debuted in 2007, with subsequent refreshes in 2013 and 2017. Cathay's Boeing 777-300ER first class will make way for an all-new design on the 777X-9.

British Airways has today retired its first Boeing 777 aircraft.

Registered G-ZZZC, the frame was delivered to the airline in November 1995. It was the first Boeing 777 aircraft to be delivered to the airline. Both G-ZZZA and G-ZZZB followed at a later date after being used by Boeing as test aircraft.

This leaves just two Boeing 777A aircraft in the British Airways fleet. They are also slated for disposal in the coming months.

These aircraft won’t be the first British Airways Boeing 777’s to leave the fleet however. Previously, the airline operated 5 A market 777 aircraft. Two (registered G-ZZZD and G-ZZZE) were returned to Boeing in 2002. Where as G-ZZZD looks to still be flying, G-ZZZE wasn’t so lucky. That particular frame was scrapped at just 11 years old, and can now be seen on Google Maps in its final resting place in Arkansas.

Seeing that G-ZZZC is now in St. Athan, it’s more than likely that the aircraft will be scrapped.

Having a limited range compared to the 777-200ER, the G-ZZZ* registered British Airways aircraft were somewhat limited in their capabilities. As such, they were more often than not found on the shorter of the long haul routes that the airline operated.

G-ZZZC operated the London – Abuja route for its final days. Previous to this, it operated between London and Newark between 24th – 30th December.

Cabin wise, there wasn’t too much difference to the -ER variants that British Airways operate. However, G-ZZZC did have a slightly larger First cabin compared to most of the later G-VII* registered fleet.

British Airways also operate 12 of the larger 777-300ER aircraft.

First Class Boeing 777-300er

This isn’t the end of the road for the Boeing 777 at British Airways though. The airline still intends to operate their fleet of 43 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. These aircraft will be the first in the British Airways fleet to be retrofitted with the new Club World Suite that was rolled out over the summer of 2019 onboard the new Airbus A350 aircraft.

Track the final flight of G-ZZZC here:

First Boeing 777 Retirement

Header photo credit: @RampRatRick/Twitter