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The upcoming Boeing 777-9 is the modernized replacement for the Boeing 737-300ER and will be the largest passenger jet on the market when it enters service. Its certification has now been delayed until 2027 as Boeing struggles to get new aircraft certified following its MAX crisis. But is the 777-9 bigger than the 777-300ER? The short answer is yes, but with some nuance.
Boeing says, “With new breakthroughs in aerodynamics and engines, the 777-9 will achieve 20% lower fuel use and emissions and a 40% smaller noise footprint than the airplanes it will replace.” The aircraft it will replace is mostly the 777-300ER. Boeing also adds that it offers 10% lower operating costs than “the competition,” which is code for the Airbus A350-1000 and is a claim Airbus disputes. Here is what to know about how much bigger the 777-9 is than the 777-300ER.
Where The 777-9 Is Bigger
The main area where the 777-9 is bigger is in the aircraft’s length. Stretching 251 feet and eight inches (76.7 meters), it is around 9 feet longer than the -300ER’s 242 feet and 5 inches (73.9 meters) length. This is enabling the aircraft to increase its typical two-class seat capacity to 426 people, up from 392 people. Perhaps more famously, the 777-9 is coming with a larger wingspan of 238 feet and 10 inches (72.8 meters) compared with the -300ER’s 212 feet and seven inches (64.8 meters) wingspan.
The 777-9 is also taller, standing at 64 feet and seven inches (19.68 meters) to the 777-300ER’s 61 feet and five inches (18.57 meters). The GE Aerospace GE9X engines are also the largest commercial engines ever produced and measure some 134 inches (3.4 meters) in diameter, up from the predecessor GE90-115B’s 128-inch (3.25-meter) diameter.
GE Aerospace says of these new GE9X engines, “The GE9X is the largest and most powerful commercial aircraft engine ever built, incorporating advanced technologies that enable more efficient, quieter flight with fewer emissions. Designed specifically for the new twin-engine Boeing 777X family.” Saying the engines are the largest aero engine built is true, but saying it’s the most powerful is not quite so straightforward, as discussed below.
What About The 777-9’s Range?
The redesigned wings of the 777-9 will enable the aircraft to carry more fuel. It will be able to carry 162,000 lbs (73.5 t) of fuel compared with the -300ER’s 146,500 lbs (66.5 t). The greater fuel load, plus increased aerodynamic efficiencies, newer engines, and weight savings in the aircraft’s structure, enable the aircraft to fly further.
Boeing advertises the 777-9 as having a range of 7,285 nautical miles, which is significantly less than the shorter 777-8. The 777-8 is to have a range of 8,745 nautical miles and will fill a much smaller ultra-long-haul but thinner niche of routes. Compared with the 777-300ER, the 777-9’s range is shorter. Boeing says, “The 777-300ER carries 396 passengers in a standard two-class configuration up to 7,370 nautical miles.”
|
Boeing 777-9 vs Boeing 777-300ER (per Boeing) |
Boeing 777-9 |
Boeing 777-300ER |
|---|---|---|
|
Aircraft length |
251 feet and eight inches (76.7 meters) |
242 feet and 5 inches (73.9 meters) |
|
Wingspan |
238 feet and 10 inches (72.8 meters) |
212 feet and seven inches (64.8 meters) |
|
Advertised range |
7,285 nautical miles |
7,370 nautical miles |
|
Typical passenger capacity |
426 |
396 |
|
Max passenger capacity |
475 (estimated) |
Approx. 550 |
|
Thrust (per engine) |
110,000 lbf |
115,300 lbf |
It may seem paradoxical that the 777-9 should have a range 85 nautical miles shorter than the 777-300ER, as it is more fuel efficient and carries more fuel. However, the 777-300ER’s range is an optimistic figure based on early 2000s marketing with a lower assumed passenger count and cargo mass. The 777-9’s figure assumes a higher passenger count, heavier average passengers, a meaningful cargo payload, and modern fuel reserves. In short, it is a much more conservative figure with a more honestly measured range.
Here’s How Much More Range The Boeing 777X Has Compared To The 777-300ER
While the 777-300ER has more range than the larger 777-9, the similarly sized 777-8 can fly 1,375 NM further, while carrying a few more passengers.
Where The 777-9 Is Not Bigger
The Boeing 777-9 is not “bigger” in every sense. For example, the 777-9 is coming with the same 775,000 lb (351.5 t) maximum take-off weight. While the new GE9X may have a larger diameter and has been test run at a record-breaking 134,300 lbf (597 kN), that is not what it is certified for. The GE9X produced more pounds of thrust in a test, but it is actually certified to generate fewer pounds of thrust than the GE90-115B it replaces.
The GE9X is certified for 110,000 lbf each, while the GE90-115B is certified for 115,300 lbf each. The goal of Boeing and GE Aerospace is not to simply out-thrust every predecessor; it’s primarily to increase relative efficiency and lower costs. The 777-9 doesn’t need as much thrust as the 777-300ER due to its newer wing and more efficient aerodynamics. The 134,400 lbf the GE9X achieved was in a test case that was meant to push the engine to the extreme, but did not represent the normal operating conditions of the engine.
GE says the GE9X “Delivers up to 10% specific fuel consumption improvements versus the GE90-115B engine” and that it has an impressive bypass ratio of 10:1. Both the 777-9 and 777-300ER are designed to have the same cruise speed of around Mach 0.84. This is more or less the same for all widebody aircraft.
Drastically Lower Maximum Seating
Seating is where the 777-9 becomes counterintuitive. The aircraft is stretched by about nine feet so that it can carry more passengers than the 777-300ER. But it will be certified to carry far fewer passengers. As stated, Boeing advertises the 777-300ER with a typical seating capacity of 350–396 passengers, while the 777-9 is being marketed with a typical two-class capacity of 426 passengers. But typical is not the certified maximum.
Airplane makers must show that everyone can evacuate the aircraft in an emergency in 90 seconds. This will not be possible for the 777-9 given the new exits Boeing has designed for it, if it were to carry the -300ER’s certified maximum of 550 passengers. While certification is ongoing, it seems likely that the 777-9 will only be certified to carry around 475 passengers. That’s 75 fewer than the -300ER and five fewer than the A350-1000.
In other words, the Boeing 777-9 will be a larger aircraft that can more comfortably carry more passengers than the 777-300ER, but it has less flexibility for ultra-high density configurations if that’s what the airline wants to do. In practice, its main customers are airlines like Emirates and Qatar, which have plans to use the 777-9 on long-haul routes with emphasis on premium seating. It’s unlikely any 777-9s will be ultra-densely configured like French Bee’s A350-1000s, which are configured with 480 seats.
Is An Airbus A350-1000 Bigger Than A Boeing 777?
The Boeing 777X is overall larger than the A350 family, although the larger A350-1000 is larger than the 777-8 by some metrics.
A Big Order Book
The Boeing 777-300ER is a very successful twin-engined widebody aircraft with Boeing ultimately delivering 833 examples to airlines around the world (excluding 777-300s). Boeing’s order book still shows a pending order for five 777-300ERs for Pakistan International Airlines, but that has been sitting on the books for many years and seems unlikely to be fulfilled.
The final 777-300ER was likely delivered in 2024 to Altavair L.P. For now, the only 777s in production and being delivered are the 777F freighters. Fifteen of these freighters were delivered in 2025, and 52 remain on order (including bad orders). Meanwhile, Boeing is recording 624 firm orders for the upcoming 777X, with most (over 520) of these being for the 777-9 and the remaining being for the 777-8F and 777-8.
Additionally, there are 124 options for the 777-9, meaning Boeing has firm orders and options for the 777-9 totaling around 655 before the aircraft is even delivered. This means that the 777-9 could outsell its 777-300ER predecessor, depending on how it performs when it enters service. It is unclear how much additional market demand there will be for the aircraft after it enters service. On a related note, things may be bigger in America, but this doesn’t include bigger scheduled commercial airliners.
Where Bigger Is Not Always Better
Over the last few decades, US-based carriers have moved away from ultra-large aircraft. The first Boeing 747 Jumbo was famously delivered to Pan Am, but the type disappeared from scheduled US service in 2017. Only American and United ordered the 777-300ER, and even then in modest numbers, meaning that the US market only accounted for 5% of its total sales. For now, US-based carriers are only purchasing smaller 787, A330neo, and A350 widebody aircraft.
It appears the 777-9 (and 777X as a whole) will double down on this trend of becoming unattractive by being too big for the US (and Canadian) market. None have been ordered by US-based airlines, while around half of the 777X orders (270 for Emirates and 124 for Qatar) are coming from the Middle East. If the A380 has a reputation of being an Emirates aircraft, plus everyone else’s aircraft, then the 777X may be an Emirates and Qatar Airways, plus everyone else’s aircraft.
Similar to the A380, the large 777-9 is designed as a long-distance hub-to-hub aircraft for thick routes. This makes it well-suited to airlines like Emirates and Qatar, which operate one hub each through which they connect most (or almost all) of the world’s major airports. But it is poorly suited to US-based carriers that operate around half a dozen major hubs, resulting in thinner routes. The 777-9 may be bigger than the 777-300ER, but for US-based carriers, this is off-putting. They would rather purchase smaller A350s, A330neos, or 787 Dreamliners.
