Boeing 777

When Boeing launched the 777 in 1990, the dominant wisdom was that ultra-long-haul over-water routes required four engines for safety. The 777 challenged that convention head-on. Certified for 180-minute ETOPS from the moment it entered service in 1995 — the first aircraft to achieve that distinction — the 777 proved that two correctly maintained engines could be trusted across the Pacific and Atlantic without diversion airports within easy reach.

The 777-300ER is the flagbearer of the family: a 73.9-metre twin with two GE90-115B engines, each producing 513 kN of thrust — the most powerful production turbofan ever built. At maximum takeoff weight, each engine generates more thrust than three 737 engines combined. The aircraft can carry 396 passengers in a two-class layout non-stop from Dubai to Los Angeles or from Singapore to London.

The 777X programme, featuring composite folding wingtips and the GE9X engine, is the successor. The 777X-9 — at 76.7 m the longest airliner ever built — is expected to enter service in the late 2020s, carrying up to 426 passengers over a range of 13,500 km. It represents the final evolution of a design philosophy that proved twin-engine wide-body jets could do everything four-engine jets could — more efficiently.