Boeing's enormous new flagship plane, the 777X, just flew for the first time – take a look at the aircraft Boeing hopes will be its redemption

Thomas Pallini

January 29, 2020 9:26 PM

Stephen Brashear/Getty

Boeing's 777 became popular in the mid-90s as the next step up from its 767. Large twin-engine aircraft were gaining popularity due to their efficiency and changing attitudes toward their safety.

Boeing's newest aircraft, the Boeing 777X, flew for the first time on Saturday.
It's the largest twin-engine jet in the world and Boeing's latest new aircraft to fly since the grounding of the 737 Max.
The aircraft builds off of the popular Boeing 777 product line offering greater capacity and efficiency aided by new engines.
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Boeing has a new passenger plane that just made history.

The Boeing 777X became the newest aircraft to grace the skies above Washington state on Saturday when the experimental aircraft lifted off from Paine Field in Everett following a day of delays due to weather.

The aircraft is the first next-generation variant of Boeing's popular 777 product line, which first flew in the 1990s and currently sees service with the world's leading airlines. Equipped with new engines developed by General Electric and a longer pair of wings, the aircraft aims to carry more passengers while operating more efficiently than its predecessor aircraft, effectively replacing the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.

When it took flight on Saturday, the aircraft became the largest twin-engine jet aircraft to ever fly. Though a milestone aircraft for Boeing, its initial debut last year was hampered by the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 and the subsequent worldwide grounding of the plane due to issues with the aircraft's software stemming from its development.

Take a look at the plane Boeing hopes will be its redemption.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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