The 777 Reaches a Million Flights under ETOPS Rules

Based on reported and projected 777 fleet data, Boeing estimated the one millionth 777 ETOPS flight occurred on May 11. The 777 was the first twin-engine airplane to fly routes over the new North Polar Routes between the U.S. and Asia that began in 2000 under regulations for extended operations (ETOPS). Boeing claims that the design of the 777 from the outset was for it to be certifiable for ETOPS. Reaching the goal of 1 million 777 ETOPS flights began with the airplane's entry into service on June 7, 1995. In early 2007 the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) formalized and extended its ETOPS regulations to invoke ETOPS standards for three- and four-engine airplanes also. One effect of that expansion of the scope of the regulations was to base the ETOPS approvals upon the characteristics and proven performance of each individual model . The end-game plan for Boeing is to certify some versions of the 777 and 787 to 330 minute ETOPS. This will mean that direct routing globally between any two city pairs should be possible, thus saving on fuel usage and the overall impact of air travel upon the environment.