The upcoming Boeing 777X is one of the most thorough updates to a commercial airliner in recent years. Far from a simple re-engining with the General Electric GE9X, the 777X is also coming with an innovative carbon-composite wing, larger than even the one used for the 747-8. In addition, the 777X, comprised of the 777-8, 777-8F, and 777-9, features a fuselage stretch in every variant compared to the prior 777 variants. Naturally, the 777X is also coming with updated technology.

The Boeing 777X will also feature a revamped interior, significantly improved from the 1990s-era “Boeing Signature Interior” on older 777 models. It’s based on the Boeing Sky Interior used on the 737 and 787 models, complete with upgraded mood lighting, larger bins, and an upgraded visual design. As a whole, the 777X is meant to elevate the passenger experience compared to prior Boeing models. This is especially true considering what is perhaps its most unusual upgrade: larger passenger windows.

Overview Of The Boeing 777X Program

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The Boeing 777X is the third generation of the venerable Boeing 777 family. It consists of the 777-8, succeeding the 777-200LR, and the 777-8F, succeeding the 777F, but the most famous variant of the 777X is the 777-9, successor to the 777-300ER. On its own, the 777-9 has received over 500 orders, with the 777X as a whole having received over 600 orders. While this is less than the sales of the 777-300ER, the most popular 777 variant, it remains a healthy figure, especially considering that the 777X has yet to enter service.

The 777X is powered by two General Electric GE9X high-bypass turbofan engines. This engine blends design elements of the GE90-115B with the technology of the GEnx, while incorporating new innovations mainly related to the engine’s materials. They’re mounted underneath a pair of new carbon-composite wings, which have a span of 235 feet five inches (71.5 meters). This is wider than the wings on the Boeing 747-8, and enough to push the 777X into ICAO Code F for gate clearance. For this reason, the 777X features folding wingtips, permitting it to use the same Code E gates as older 777s.

The Boeing 777-9 is the first variant that will enter service. Boeing originally intended for the 777-9 to enter commercial service in 2020, but this has been pushed back again and again. It’s currently expected that the first customer 777-9, an example for Lufthansa registered as D-ABTA, will enter service in 2027, nearly 14 years after the 777X was launched in 2013. The passenger 777-8’s development has been paused due to a lack of demand, while the 777-8F is projected to enter service in 2028.

The Windows Of The Boeing 777X

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With the 777X, Boeing has made significant changes to improve the passenger experience. It’s standard for manufacturers to continuously improve the interior of their airliners, even when not debuting a new aircraft type, but what’s unique for the 777X is that it’s coming with larger passenger windows. Boeing is, in fact, redesigning the physical cutouts in the aircraft’s fuselage rather than just increasing the size of the plastic interior window pane, which was done with the Boeing 737 and new Airbus A320neo/A321neo examples.

The Boeing 777’s windows were already larger than those of the Airbus A350 and were the largest in the world when they debuted, measuring at 10 inches by 15 inches (25.4 centimeters by 38.1 centimeters). Boeing hasn’t provided exact measurements for the 777X’s windows, but has confirmed that they’ll have a total area of 162 square inches (1,045.2 square centimeters). This compares to 140 square inches (903.2 square centimeters) for the legacy 777, and 125 square inches (806.5 square centimeters) for the Airbus A350.

But within the Boeing lineup, the 787 Dreamliner still wins with its passenger windows. They measure 10.7 inches by 18.4 inches (27.2 centimeters by 46.7 centimeters) and have an area of 196.8 square inches (1,270 square centimeters), making them the largest cabin windows on any commercial aircraft in production. The 787’s windows are also notable for including a dimming feature, a first on an airliner. Airbus has since replicated this feature with the A350 and A330neo, while Boeing will also include dimming windows on the 777X.

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Why Boeing Increased The Size Of The Windows

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Technically, nothing is stopping Boeing from giving the 777X the same windows as the 787, even though the 777’s fuselage is metal and the 787’s fuselage is composite. Gulfstream aircraft, for instance, feature even larger windows than a 787 despite featuring a metal fuselage. The difference is that, because composites are stronger than aluminum, a window requires less structural reinforcement, saving weight. This makes it more economical for manufacturers to install a larger window.

Because the 777X now has larger windows, this will create a new set of parts for the plane compared to the legacy 777, slightly increasing the costs of maintaining both fleets. But perhaps more importantly, the 777X’s fuselage will require additional strengthening around the windows, adding weight. This is the main reason why interior updates rarely change the actual size of the windows. Likely, this could be accomplished economically because of weight savings made elsewhere, such as with the interior.

Windows contribute to a passenger’s perception of an aircraft, and by association, an airline. While large windows on their own won’t lead to increased ticket sales, they do make an airliner appear more modern. When combined with other attributes like large overhead bins and well-maintained, high-quality seats, this can sway passenger opinions. A positive impression on customers will, therefore, lead to more sales. These are minor aspects that ultimately add up, which is why Boeing and Airbus invest heavily in the onboard experience of their aircraft.

Differences From Airbus Aircraft

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The Airbus A350 was promoted as having the largest cabin windows of any Airbus aircraft. However, the A350’s windows are not only smaller than the 777X, but they’re smaller than the legacy 777, despite debuting after the 777 and the 787. With the Airbus A330neo, Airbus elected to retain the aircraft’s original window size, despite it being marketed as a direct Boeing 787 competitor. With the latest iteration of the Airspace Interior on the A320neo, Airbus has enlarged the plastic interior window pane, but not the actual window itself, which remains slightly smaller than the window on the 737.

This reflects a difference in design philosophy. Designing a larger window improves passenger perception and onboard comfort, but adds weight and can be expensive when working on a pre-existing design. Airbus has opted to save weight with its window designs, instead marketing other aspects of its aircraft, such as standard 18-inch (45.72-centimeter) economy seats across its line-up. With the A350, Airbus decided to save weight, and that just being bigger than prior Airbus planes was good enough.

The Boeing 777X as a whole takes a fundamentally different approach than the Airbus A330neo, itself also a refresh of an older aircraft. Boeing has made significantly more changes to the 777, including with the wings and interior, while Airbus has taken a simpler approach to reduce development costs as well as integration costs for current A330 operators. Inside, the A330neo comes with the Airspace Interior, but retains the same cabin width and window design as older A330s.

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Other Changes With The Boeing 777X’s Interior

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Up front is another difference in philosophy between the A330neo and 777X. The A330neo features the exact same cockpit as the legacy Airbus A330. The 777X, however, was designed to appear similar to the Boeing 787. Airbus’s approach reduces transition costs for A330 operators, while Boeing’s approach results in less training required to switch between the 777X and the 787, but may require current 777 crews to undergo additional training for the 777X.

The 777X features an updated version of the Boeing Sky Interior found on the Boeing 787 and Boeing 737. The mood lighting has been updated, and the overhead bins have been enlarged. In addition to the windows being larger, they’ve also been mounted higher than before, and the aircraft also features a higher onboard humidity level, as well as a lower ambient cabin altitude, similar to the Boeing 787. Furthermore, the sidewalls have been resculpted to add extra width to the 777X’s seats and aisles.

With its General Electric GE9X engines, the 777X will be one of the quietest aircraft in service, and the plane will also feature systems to better counter turbulence. Overall, although the 777X is a refresh of a 1990s-era airframe, the onboard experience will be comparable to that of the new Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, which is no doubt a handy benefit for its operators who will want to market the plane as a flagship experience for customers.