Flight Friday: Boeing 777 Utilization Since 2019

With Boeing delivering the final 777-300ER at the end of 2024 despite the aircraft being built in late 2019, this week’s Flight Friday looks back at how 777 cycles (flights) have been since the beginning of 2019.

The 777-300ER has been the largest contributor to the total number of 777 flights over the 2019 to 2024 timeframe, partly due to its larger fleet size. Since 2019, the 777-300ER has consistently accounted for approximately 55% of all 777 utilization.

As with all widebody aircraft, utilization took a hit during COVID. However, due to the aircraft’s ability to carry a large amount of belly cargo, operators put their 777-300ERs back into service to keep personal protection equipment and those few passengers that wanted/needed to travel moving.

The 777-200ER is the second-largest contributor to overall utilization. However, its contribution has decreased from approximately 20% of total utilization in 2019 to about 15-16%. This decline is due to a reduction of more than 20% in the in-service fleet. The current fleet is aging, with the average age of the 777-200ER being over 20 years. As a result, we can expect to see a decrease in utilization as these legacy aircraft are retired. The 777-200 and 777-300 also belong to the legacy fleet, with average ages of nearly 25 years or more. This has led to a significant drop in monthly cycles, as the fleet experienced a surge in retirements due to the pandemic.

On the other hand, the new 777F fleet has doubled its utilization from the beginning of 2019 to the end of 2024, thanks to the addition of nearly 100 new aircraft. This fleet has a much younger average age of less than eight years and still has a healthy order book for future deliveries. During this timeframe, the monthly share of 777F utilization increased from 10% to over 20%. Utilization surged during the pandemic, contrasting with passenger widebodies, as there was an increased demand for transporting goods globally.

In 2025, Boeing is continuing to build the 777F while type certification is in progress for its successor, the 777X. The Aviation Week 2025 Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast indicates the next delivery of a passenger 777 by Boeing is expected in late 2026. Yet this timeline may change as there are still some issues to be resolved during the type certification process.

This data was put together using Aviation Week’s Tracked Aircraft Utilization tool.