The Boeing 777 has been a staple of long-haul air travel since before the turn of the century. It entered service with United Airlines in June 1995, and more than 1,000 examples remain active today. Two of these are more than 25 years old, with several others not far behind. With this in mind, let's take a closer look at where you can find the world's oldest active 777s.

Top of the pile

According to data from ch-aviation.com, there are presently 1,097 active Boeing 777s in the world. This represents just under two thirds of the total production cycle to date of just under 1,700 aircraft. Of these, the very oldest still flying belongs to Russian leisure carrier Red Wings Airlines. Registered as VP-BLI, it clocks in at an impressive 25.07 years old.

In terms of specific Boeing 777 variants, this aircraft is a 777-200ER, as are most of the world's oldest active triple-sevens. It is one of three active examples of the type at Red Wings, with the others being 24.65 (VP-BSJ) and 23.11 (VP-BMR) years old. VP-BLI entered service with Emirates in July 1997, and stayed there for 19 years before leaving in June 2016.

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Red Wings Boeing 777
Red Wings can pack up to 412 passengers onto its Boeing 777-200ERs. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Flickr

The jet then spent brief spells at VIM Airlines and IrAero before joining Red Wings in April 2021. It seats 412 economy class passengers in a densely-packed 10-abreast configuration. According to data from RadarBox.com, Red Wings typically flies VP-BLI from Moscow and Riga Hong Kong, with trips to Budapest also interspersed within the last few weeks.

British Airways' busy 777s

UK flag carrier British Airways is also a key player when it comes to the world's oldest active Boeing 777s. Indeed, it flies the only other example to have exceeded the 25-year mark, namely G-VIIB. This 25.02-year-old widebody joined the airline in May 1997, having first flown the previous December. As of July 2021, it had amassed 105,060 flight hours.

As it happens, BA also operates the 777s that rank third to seventh on the list, as well as ninth and tenth (only interrupted by Red Wings' VP-BSJ). All in all, the carrier has 43 Boeing 777-200ERs in its fleet, of which 35 are active. Their average age is 21.8 years old, which makes for an interesting contrast when compared to its 777-300ERs (7.2 years on average).

British Airways Boeing 777-200ER
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Elsewhere in Europe

It turns out that Europe is something of a hotspot for the world's oldest active Boeing 777s, and not just in Russia and the UK. Indeed, Austrian Airlines also ranks highly in this domain, with its six 777-200ERs clocking in at 21 years old on average. The oldest of these is OE-LPA, at 24 years old. As of July 2021, it had accrued 113,896 flight hours, the highest for the type.

Air France's Boeing 777-200ERs have a similar degree of seniority, and actually clock in slightly older than those of Austrian Airlines. They have an average age of 21.8 years old, and four of these are among the world's 50 oldest active Boeing 777 family aircraft. The very oldest is F-GSPA, which first flew in March 1998, and joined Air France in the same month.

Air France Boeing 777 Vincenzo
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

An interesting and slightly more unorthodox candidate from elsewhere in Europe when it comes to old 777s is Portuguese charter carrier EuroAtlantic Airways. The airline has a single active 777-200ER on its books, bearing the registration CS-TFM. It is 23.57 years old, and used to fly for Singapore Airlines. It seats 326 passengers in a two-class configuration.

Classic 777-200ERs in the US

The US is the home of Boeing and, by extension, the home of the Boeing 777 family. As such, it is unsurprising to see several US-based 777-200ERs near the top of the rankings when it comes to the world's oldest active Boeing 777s. Indeed, in the top 50 alone, United Airlines has 10 examples, and American Airlines is fairly close behind with six.

United is adding nine new codeshare destinations in Asia, Australia and the Maldives. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

When it comes to United, the Star Alliance founding member has 21 active 777-200ERs at its disposal, alongside a further 34 inactive examples. They clock in at 21.8 years old on average. United also has 19 standard 777-200s which are even older, but all of these are inactive. This is due to a grounding order following an engine failure in February.

Over at American Airlines, the Fort Worth-based US legacy carrier has 42 active 777-200ERs in its fleet, alongside five dormant examples. The average age is slightly younger than their United Airlines counterparts, amounting to 21 years old. The oldest example bears the registration N771AN, and it has been flying for American Airlines since January 1999.

American Airlines Boeing 777-223(ER) N794AN (2)
The Boeing 777-200ER (pictured) proved to be a more popular variant. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

What about the 777-300?

Looking back at our findings to this point, we can see that the Boeing 777-200ER has been the dominant thus far when it comes to the world's oldest active 777 family aircraft. However, that isn't to say that other versions don't get a look in. Indeed, there are four examples of the stretched 777-300 variant that have also found their way into the top 50.

All of these belong to Russian carrier Rossiya Airlines, although ch-aviation's data suggests that Aeroflot flies them as an ACMI customer. The oldest of these bears the registration EI-UNL, and is 23.08 years old. Much like euroAtlantic's aforementioned 777-200ER, this lengthy twinjet also began its career with Singapore Airlines. It has 373 seats across three classes.

Rossiya Boeing 777-300
EI-UNL is the oldest of Rossiya's active Boeing 777-300s. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Flickr

Here to stay

All in all, the Boeing 777 family is certainly here to stay. With the new 777X series expected to enter service within two years, the topic of the world's oldest active 777s will remain an interesting and dynamic one for decades to come. Maybe it will even be worth a revisit to assess how the situation has changed with regards to these magnificent twinjets.

Are you a fan of the Boeing 777? What's the oldest example that you've flown on? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!