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Inside the Archive #15 | The Boeing 777
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When Qantas farewelled its final 747, mid-pandemic, the airline invited former crew and the country’s media to one of its hangars in Sydney to toast it off, before the aircraft traced a giant kangaroo in the sky. When the small but mighty 717 bowed out late last year, social media influencers were invited onto the final commercial flight, and an airframe was donated to a new academy to train the next generation of engineers. But when Virgin’s 777s finally ended their storied service in Australian aviation five years ago, there was, well, nothing.
Of course, the lack of a funeral was partly because the carrier plunged into administration during the pandemic, and its wide-bodies were declared surplus to requirements when new owners took the keys. But it’s also true that the aircraft failed to capture the public’s imagination. To the untrained eye, the 777 was never the giant leap forward in technology or functionality that could be boasted by, say, the 747 or Super Constellation or even the more recent lightweight and long-range Dreamliner.
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But its lack of obvious sex appeal shouldn’t obscure the fact it remains the best-selling wide-body aircraft of all time, with more than 1,700 deliveries already made. Launched in 1990, airline execs loved how it fit snugly between the 767 and 747, while pilots adored its fly-by-wire controls. Under the bonnet, it also heralded a revolution in creating airliners, becoming the first significant aircraft to be designed entirely using computer-aided design (CAD) technology. In total, Virgin operated five of the -300ER variants, with the first – carrying the flagship VOZ registration – being delivered to the then V Australia subsidiary in January 2009.
Yet, as this issue goes to print, it’s highly likely Virgin will again operate the type this year. Qatar’s deal to purchase a quarter of the Australian carrier comes alongside a promise to wet lease its 777s to Virgin to fly 28 weekly return flights to Doha. Though it’s still to be ratified by the federal government, the services are due to begin as soon as June, with the ACCC already having waved the deal through.
It’s quite possible Virgin could reclaim one of its original 777s – VH-VPH – that was eventually taken in by Qatar, post-administration and now registered as A7-BOG. Currently flying between Doha and Denpasar, it’s seen in the photo above, shot by Australian Aviation’s Lenn Bayliss, exiting Wellcamp (and Australia) for the final time in May 2023.
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