Photos: Boeing's gigantic 777X plane completes maiden test flight

The world's largest twin-engine aircraft landed near Seattle after 4 hours in the air

Last updated: January 26, 2020 | 14:18

2 MIN READ

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The pilots exit the 777X aircraft at the Boeing Field in Seattle. Boeing's new long-haul 777X airliner made its first flight Saturday, a major step forward for the company whose broader prospects remain clouded by the 737 MAX crisis.

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The 777X, a larger version of the 777 mini-jumbo, which took off from Everett, Washington state, flew almost four hours before it landed at Seattle's Boeing Field.

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The 777X plane, with two foldable wings spanning more than 235 feet, is the world's largest twin-engine commercial aircraft. It is 10 per cent more cost-effective and 10 per cent more fuel efficient.

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Boeing employees and family members cheer the 777X after it landed in Seattle. The aircraft is the larger of two versions planned by Boeing and will officially be called 777-9, but is better known under its development codename, 777X.

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The 777X features giant carbon-composite wings, the largest Boeing has ever designed. The wings are so long that to fit at standard airport gates, each has to fold upward on a hinge 11 feet from the tip.

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Boeing said it expects to deliver the first 777X aircraft in 2021 after receiving orders from the world's leading air carriers, including Japan's All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines.

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Boeing employees and guests take photos and welcome a Boeing 777X airplane returning from its inaugural flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.

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A Boeing Co. 777X airplane sits at the Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.

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Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal (C) smiles as stands in a crowd in a hangar at Boeing Field following the first flight of the Boeing 777X airliner in Seattle, Washington.

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Boeing employees and others celebrate as a Boeing 777X airplane returns to a hangar after its first test flight at the company's facility in Seattle, Washington.

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Test Pilot Van Chaney talks with reporters after flying a Boeing 777X in its first test flight at the company's facility in Seattle, Washington.

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A Boeing 777X lands at Boeing Field in Seattle after its first flight.

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An engine is pictured on a Boeing 777X airplane after its first test flight at the company's facility in Seattle, Washington.

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Boeing Co. pilots wave while exiting the company's 777X airplane at the Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.

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Test Pilot Craig Bomben celebrates after flying a Boeing 777X airplane in its first test flight at the company's facility in Seattle, Washington.

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