777X: Boeing rollout world's longest passenger jet
Boeing has invested $1bn in a new factory to build the 777X's advanced carbon fiber composite wing.
(Web Desk) – The longest passenger jetliner in the world just made its debut. Boeing abandoned the usual pomp-and-circumstance during a scaled-back rollout of its newest commercial passenger plane.
The aerospace giant originally had expected to unveil the Boeing 777X on March 13 - with all the glitz, fanfare and media hype that typically accompanies the rollout of a new jetliner.
Out of respect for the crash victims and their families, Boeing dropped the usual pageantry for the 777X - and turned the event into a muted, employee-only affair inside the assembly plant in Everett.
At 252 feet long, the company says the new aircraft has eclipsed even the 747-800 to become the largest twin-engine passenger jetliner in the world. Depending on the model, the plane will seat anywhere from 350 and 425 passengers. Its range is 9,000 to 10,000 miles.
The 777X design will allow slightly larger seats, and the new plane s overhead bins are also larger, so that passengers can better store more carry-on luggage. The windows also will be larger than on current 777s.
Boeing also has invested more than $1 billion in a new factory in Everett to build the 777X s advanced, carbon fiber composite wing. The new wings are so long - with a total span of 235 feet - that the outer 12 feet of each wing is designed to fold in when the plane is on the ground so that it will fit at existing airport gates that handle older 777s.
The 777-8 will seat between 350 and 375 passengers and have an endurance of more than 17 hours aloft. Covering 8,700 nautical miles, or more than 16,000 kilometers, the plane is Boeing s challenger to the Airbus A350ULR s crown as the world s longest-range airplane.
Eight airlines have placed 358 orders and commitments for the new jetliner. Dubai-based Emirates will get the first 777-9 next year and the 777-8 will follow two years later.
What will passengers experience in the latest wide-body jetliner to be built by Boeing?
