Boeing 777

The 777 is the aircraft that quietly retired the jumbo jet. Boeing designed it in the early 1990s as the first airliner developed entirely on computers, and gave it two engines so large — the GE90's fan is wider than a 737's fuselage — that a twin could finally do what only three- and four-engine aircraft had done before.

The -300ER variant became the best-selling widebody of its era because the economics were brutal in its favour: near-747 capacity on two engines instead of four. Around 1,750 777s have been built across all variants, and the freighter version carries a huge share of the world's long-haul air cargo.

The 777X, with folding wingtips and the even larger GE9X, is the family's next chapter — in certification now.