Classic 777s are just small enough to fit inside the International Civil Aviation Organization's "Class E" gates, able to house the 787, A330, and 777 families; these are the largest gauge most global airports' gates are built to. The extra 23 feet in the new generation's wingspan, however, bumps the 777x up to a "Class F" aircraft, forcing it to park in the terminals made for leviathan jumboliners like Boeing's iconic, yet, dying 747 and Airbus' colossal A380. Boeing is no stranger to this, as its F/A-18 Super Hornet uses this design to fit aboard modern supercarriers, and with Boeing patenting the technology for foldable wingtips in the 1990s, there was already plenty prepared for the system to be integrated.
Author: staff@jalopnik.com (Jackson Lambros)
Published at: 2025-08-02 21:25:00
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