Featured Map for 19 September 2018:
First 777 Departs Cathay Pacific for Museum

The first Boeing 777, known within Boeing as WA001, flew its last flight yesterday. Boeing first flew the aircraft on 12 June 1994. Registered N7771, it accumulated 1,729 hours of flying as a testbed and demonstrator for Boeing. Although built to nearly the same specifications as United's early 777s, including Pratt & Whitney PW4000-series engines, Boeing was unable to sell the aircraft to United and eventually sold it to Cathay Pacific after refitting it with Rolls-Royce Trent 884B-17 engines. Delivered on 6 December 2000, it joined a small fleet of four 777-267 aircraft built for Cathay Pacific and flew 20,519 flights with the airline (49,687 hours of flying time) over 17.5 years before retirement on 1 June 2018.

Yesterday, WA001's final two flights consisted of a short hop from storage at Xiamen to Hong Kong followed by a 6,657-nm (12,330-km) flight to Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona, whence it was towed to the Pima Air & Space Museum for future display.

Today's Featured Map shows the routes where Cathay Pacific operates their remaining four 777-200s, mostly relatively short flights from the airline's Hong Kong hub (green) plus a few routes from a secondary hub at Taipei (red). On some routes the 777-200 is not the usual aircraft but rather a substitution for larger 777s or for Airbus A330s. Also shown (in blue) are WA001's final two flights, with the long trip across the Pacific cropped.

References and additional information:

• Cathay Pacific Airways
  • Cathay Pacific, Boeing to donate world's 1st 777 to aviation museum (17 September 2018)
• First Boeing 777 (aged 24) makes its last flight – to a museum – The Register (18 September 2018)
• 12 June 1994 – This Day in Aviation
• Pima Air & Space Museum
• Cathay Pacific Fleet Details and History – Planespotters