The Aircraft Replacing The Boeing 777-300ER

The Boeing 777-300ER has proven to be one of the most successful aircraft variants Boeing has ever built. With over 800 deliveries of the long-range widebody, the 777-300ER makes up over half of all 777 passenger aircraft built by Boeing and is the best-selling variant by a long way.

But with over two decades in service, the era of the 777-300ER is entering its twilight. While it will remain in commercial service for many years to come, newer and more advanced aircraft have already started to phase it out, while Boeing’s direct replacement is probably a year away from entering service. Let’s explore which aircraft are in the process of replacing the Boeing 777-300ER.

Replacing The 777-300ER: The 777X And A350-1000

The 777-300ER entered service in 2004 and has since formed the backbone of many long-haul fleets. Some of the largest operators of the type today include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air France and United Airlines. Typically seating upwards of 350 passengers in three classes or over 400 in two classes, the 777-300ER was the biggest twinjet option for operators at its release and offered a viable high-capacity alternative to the Boeing 747 (and later, the Airbus A380).

Boeing’s direct replacement for the 777-300ER is the Boeing 777-9, the largest variant of its upcoming Boeing 777X family of aircraft. Slated for entry in late 2026 or early 2027, the 777-9 will have a typical three-class capacity of 349 passengers or 426 in two classes, putting it in the same bracket as the -300ER. The shorter 777-8 model, which Boeing decided to stretch by another 3.5 feet, will seat up to 395 in two classes.

As for Airbus, its Airbus A350-1000 is the most direct competitor to the -300ER in terms of capacity and range. The planemaker says the aircraft can accommodate between 350 and 410 passengers in a three-class configuration; however, most three-class operators have their aircraft configured with 330-340 seats in reality. Meanwhile, its range is about 10% longer than the 777-300ER at 8,000 NM. The A350-1000 is the fourth-longest commercial jet ever built and the second-longest Airbus plane, with a fuselage length of almost 74 meters.

How The Orders Stack Up

The 777-300ER sold a total of 838 units, although five of these destined for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) remain unfulfilled and probably won’t ever be delivered. Therefore, the company likely delivered its final 777-300ER airframe to lessor Altavair LP in 2024. With almost 2,400 firm orders, the Boeing 777 family is the best-selling widebody aircraft in history (including freighters), although its Boeing 787 Dreamliner is catching up.

The Boeing 777X has so far secured over 550 commitments (including 59 freighters) and is scheduled to enter service within the next 18 months or so. Much like the -300ER, the two largest customers for the 777X are Emirates and Qatar Airways, while other notable buyers include Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Korean Air.

The A350-1000 has been growing in popularity since its debut in 2018. The type has now attracted over 350 orders, including recent commitments from Riyadh Air, Korean Air and Starlux. However, sales of this variant are still a long way from the shorter A350-900, which has managed over 1,000 orders.

Comparing The A350-1000 And 777-9

There are key differences between the A350-1000 and 777-9, particularly their respective capacity and range. The -1000 can fly considerably longer than the 777-9, but with a reduced capacity. With a maximum range of up to 8,700 NM (16,112 km), the A350-1000 has an impressive 20% further than the 777-9, although the 777-8 will have a similar range.

As a lighter aircraft, the A350-1000 is also cheaper to operate, with Airbus claiming it is 13% more fuel efficient than the 777-9. However, with the additional seating capacity on the 777-9, this bridges the cost per seat gap. The 777-9’s wider fuselage makes a 10-abreast economy configuration feasible, while the A350-1000 was designed for nine-abreast.

The 777-9 also has a higher MTOW of 351.5 tonnes (775,000 lbs) compared to 322 tonnes (710,000 lbs) on the A350-1000, allowing for greater cargo capacity. But as the bigger plane, the 777-9 also comes with a heftier price tag. Boeing’s list price for the 777-9 was set at $442.2 million, while the A350-1000 came with a list price of $366.5 million, which is almost 20% cheaper.

Will The 777X Be A Success?

We hear the term “game-changer” thrown around a lot in the aviation industry, and it’s one Boeing is using to describe how the 777X will transform the long-haul market. Becoming the new largest twinjet aircraft in the world, the 777X features folding wingtips and powerful, efficient GE9X engines that will deliver up to 10% greater efficiency than the -300ER. However, the real metric airlines care about is fuel burn per seat, which could be up to 20% better with the 777-9, although Lufthansa has cited a 25% reduction.

With a wider cabin, enlarged windows and a lower cabin altitude of 6,000 ft, the onboard experience certainly promises to be a step-up on the -300ER too. Its redesigned fuselage permits extra width, which will enable airlines to configure more spacious cabins, particularly the premium ones. Advanced sound insulation on the engines will also translate to a quieter onboard experience and lower noise emissions on the ground for regulatory reasons.

While already securing close to 500 firm commitments, orders for the two passenger versions of the 777X – the 777-8 and 777-9 – are dominated by just a few airlines, which could make the program dependent on the whims of just one or two big customers. This is similar to what happened with the Airbus A380, which became hugely reliant on Emirates. The Dubai-based carrier has over 200 commitments for the 777X, while Qatar Airways has almost another 100 orders.

A350-1000 Orders Approach Century

The stretched A350-1000 debuted over seven years ago, but Airbus has yet to hit 100 deliveries of the type. It is currently lingering on 98 deliveries but has a sizable backlog of over 250 aircraft to fulfill. The program has been buoyed by a few notable orders in recent months, including Riyadh Air, while it is already in service with several leading global carriers, including Qatar Airways, British Airways and Japan Airlines.

However, Air France recently announced it would be converting eight of its A350-1000 orders to the smaller A350-900. As the more popular variant, Airbus has sold over 1,000 units of the -900 and completed almost 600 deliveries so far.

It is notable that all six of the above airlines operate the 777-300ER. One of those carriers, Japan Airlines, has already started phasing out its 777-300ER fleet, with the first aircraft departing in late 2024. The airline had a total of 13 777-300ERs that it had flown for almost 20 years, but has phased out two so far in favor of the A350-1000.

Why Boeing Built The 777-300ER

The -300ER came about as the industry sought more efficient twinjet aircraft that could still operate on dense long-haul routes. While the 777-200ER had proven itself very capable, airlines wanted something with even more capacity that could rival the cost per seat economics of the 747-400. While it had already developed a stretched 777 in the regular 777-300 variant, the range of this aircraft wasn’t quite enough to handle ultra-long-haul responsibilities.

The -300ER added over 20% additional range and increased the aircraft’s MTOW to up to 352 tonnes (775,000 lbs), allowing it to fly on routes of 17 hours or more. The twinjet proved a game-changer when it was released, incorporating two of the most powerful commercial jet engines ever built in the GE90-115B. Rising fuel prices had also made two-engined planes more favorable for operators, with the 777-300ER an attractive alternative to the quadjet Airbus A340-600.

According to Cirium, 97% of all the 777-300ERs produced remain in service or in storage, showing how popular and valued the aircraft is. With many airlines – including Air France, British Airways, Emirates and KLM – choosing to invest in cabin retrofits for their fleets, the -300ER is likely to remain a common sight in the skies up until 2040 or beyond.