EXCLUSIVE: British Airways has today revealed to Simple Flying which Boeing 777 aircraft will be receiving the new Club World suite by the end of the year. While it was known that the upgrade would be applied to two Boeing 777-200s, the airline has now revealed their registrations.

The new British Airways Club World suite is arguably as hotly awaited as the company's new Airbus A350 aircraft due later this summer. While the spotlight is rightly on the Airbus A350s, it shouldn't be forgotten that the Boeing 777-200s will get the new Club World suite too.

Which aircraft?

Back in January, British Airways revealed that two Boeing 777 aircraft would receive the new  Club World cabin. British Airways then revealed in March that the aircraft would be from the Boeing 777-200 fleet.

Simple Flying reached out to a British Airways representative for an update on the situation. They informed us that G-RAES and G-VIIA are both set to receive the huge business class upgrade by the end of 2019. Let's take a look at the two aircraft!

British Airways Boeing 777 Club World
Both aircraft will receive the refit by the end of 2019. Photo: Tom Boon - Simple Flying

G-RAES

According to data from AirFleets.net, G-RAES is 22.1 years old, having been delivered to British Airways on 10th June 1997. The aircraft is currently equipped with 226 seats spread across four classes. In fact, this consists of 14 First seats, 48 Club World seats, 40 World Traveller Plus seats, and 124 World Traveller seats.

While most of BA's early Boeing 777-200ERs have the registration G-VII_, G-RAES stands out. Its registration refers to the Royal Aeronautical Society which goes by the acronym RAeS. Unfortunately, the refit of G-RAES has yet to begin as the aircraft is still in service.

G-VIIA

The second Boeing 777-200ER to receive the Club World retrofit this year is G-VIIA.  Again, according to AirFleets.net, this aircraft is 22.8 years old. However, while older than G-RAES it was actually delivered to British Airways on the 3rd July 1997, almost an entire month later. G-VIIA has the same layout as G-RAES.

According to FlightRadar24.com, G-VIIA is currently in Cardiff. While the aircraft is undergoing maintenance according to The BA Source, it is unclear whether this has anything to do with the Club World refit. In fact, I'd be surprised if it debuted on a Boeing 777 and not an Airbus A350.

The new Club World suite

The new Club World seat will be a huge upgrade on British Airways' ageing business class offering. In fact, the new offering will see customers in the business cabin able to close a door, turning their seat into a suite.

British Airways Club World A350

One of the more notable upgrades that passengers will see, however, is the introduction of every seat having direct aisle access. This is a huge upgrade from the current offering. In fact, some have claimed that the seats are better than the airline's current first class offering.

British Airways will not be offering the First cabin on their new Airbus A350 aircraft due this year. At this time, it is unclear whether the Boeing 777 will lose its first cabin. While some have claimed that the Club World seat is better, it doesn't come with the first class soft product.

Should British Airways put First Class on their retrofitted Boeing 777s? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!