Marks the spot

Boeing’s third-generation twinjet aims to flap its folding winglets and fly

If there’s an aircraft that represents the 1990s, it’s the Boeing 777. This “big twin” airliner revolutionised air travel when it entered into service twenty-two years ago last month, and a decade later the re-engined, upgraded Boeing 777-300ER did the same for the 2000s, becoming the best selling version of the aircraft family.

Boeing is hoping that the 2020s, though, will belong to the 777X. A second-generation re-engining and full composite re-winging of the platform — together with other improvements from the last decade — the 777X family comes in two flavours that are slightly larger and slightly smaller than the 777-300ER: the longer 777-9 and the shorter 777-8.