Summary

  • The Boeing 777-300ER has demonstrated resilience during the COVID pandemic, with 715 active planes and only 7 scrapped, making it an efficient and reliable aircraft.
  • Emirates is the largest operator of the 777-300ER, using it for cargo and passenger flights. The airline has a strong preference for the aircraft and is eagerly awaiting its successor, the 777X.
  • The value of the 777-300ER varies based on factors such as age and market demand. While it peaked at $150 million, the current value ranges from $26 to $90 million. As newer planes enter the market, its value is likely to continue to decline, but it remains a capable and enduring aircraft.

The 777-300ER is one of Boeing's most successful widebody aircraft, beaten only by its successor family, the Dreamliner. The American planemaker lists 880 orders for the type from 1990 to 2017, with airlines around the world leaping to the efficient and high-capacity twinjet. Two decades later, we look at the aircraft's market value.

What’s the current status of the 777-300ER?

While the 777-300ER (77W) was one of the many widebodies grounded during COVID, it remained active in most fleets and was the first to bounce back. Data from ch-aviation shows that 715 planes are active with 44 airlines, showing the plane's resilience in returning from the pandemic, with only seven scrapped in total (that figure is multiple times higher for the newer A380).

Emirates is the largest operator of the 777-300ER, with 123 aircraft in service, of which only three are currently parked up. The aircraft was vital when the A380s were grounded in recent years, ensuring it could fly cargo and passengers efficiently, a role it continues today. The carrier is a big fan of the plane and, notwithstanding several delays, is looking forward to its successor, the 777X.

An Air France Boeing 777 rolling down the runway.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Air France was the inaugural operator of the 77W in April 2004. Boeing's list price for the aircraft was a startling $375.5 million, but in reality, carriers usually get hefty discounts of over 50%, with the plane's peak value estimated at $150 million.

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What’s the value of the 777-300ER at the moment?

It is difficult to pinpoint a standard price for a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft today, with each individual airframe carrying its own figure. The value of an aircraft goes down with age, but as we've established, it peaked at $150 million. Here are a few examples.

The first 77W delivered was F-GSQA to the French flag carrier and is now 19.7 years old. Today, it's worth $26.6 million, per ch-aviation's database, falling over 13% in the last two years alone. Air France has leased the jet from AerCap and is likely to see out its use in commercial service.

On the other end of the scale, we have the newest 777-300ER, delivered to KLM in early 2021. PH-BVW is currently worth $89 million, which is not a bad feat considering the aircraft type is now nearing its two-decade mark. The Dutch flag carrier owns this plane itself, so it has the opportunity to sell it in the future, though it's more likely to serve for years to come.

A KLM 777-300ER flying in the sky.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Finally, a middle-of-the-road example would be Emirates' 77W, registered A6-ENA. The plane was delivered in October 2012, making it 11 years old, and is now worth $ 54.4 million. Aairframe value is closely linked to age and market demand, and with the latter figure fairly small for the 777-300ER, it has certainly dropped in recent years.

When we first looked at this topic in 2021, we estimated the 777-300ER is worth $30-100 million; however, today, that figure has fallen to about $26-$90 million. This number will likely continue to drop as new planes enter the fold and the 77W becomes inefficient compared to rivals, but it has had a good run and shows no signs of giving up soon.

Have you ever been onboard a Boeing 777-300ER? With which airline? How was your experience? Let us know in the comments below.