Boeing 777-300

Updated: October 2026 – A twinjet that looks so long it seems to never end while taxiing, six wheels per landing gear leg and wings that end short and plain: if the tracker also shows B773, you’re looking at a Boeing 777-300. It’s the first stretched Triple Seven, older and much rarer than the well-known 777-300ER. Here you’ll learn how it came about, who has flown it and still flies it, and how to tell it from its successful ER sister in seconds.

What is the Boeing 777-300?

The 777-300 is the stretched version of the first 777 generation. Boeing introduced the 777 in the early 1990s as a large twinjet between the 767 and the 747. Even as the 777-200 entered scheduled service, mainly Asian airlines were asking for more capacity. Their goal: replace early jumbo jets like the 747-200 on busy routes, but with two engines instead of four.

Boeing responded with a classic stretch. The fuselage grew by a good ten meters to 73.86 meters, and capacity rose by about a fifth. The wing, cockpit and basic systems stayed largely the same so airlines could switch their pilots and technicians from the short to the long 777 without much effort. Typical is 368 seats in three classes; in dense seating, the aircraft is certified for up to 550 people.

Boeing announced the program launch on June 26, 1995, at the Paris Air Show. Final assembly began in March 1997, the first aircraft rolled out of the hangar in Everett on September 8, 1997, and the first flight followed on October 16, 1997. The FAA and JAA granted certification at the same time on May 4, 1998. Launch customer Cathay Pacific put the 777-300 into service on May 27, 1998.

Longer than a jumbo: what the stretch changed

With its length, the 777-300 even exceeded the then-current 747-400 by a good three meters. At entry into service, it was the longest airliner in the world – until the Airbus A340-600 took over that title. That length brought a few special features you should know as a spotter.

What didn’t change was the wing. The 777-300 uses the same wing as the 777-200ER, with a 60.93-meter wingspan and short, straight-cut tips. That’s exactly what later becomes the most important difference from the 777-300ER, which got a larger wing with swept tips.

Two engines, two camps

Unlike the short 777, in practice there were only two powerplants for the 777-300: the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 and the Pratt & Whitney PW4000. A GE90 version of the 777-300 was never certified. Of the 60 aircraft built, 42 flew with Trent engines from Rolls-Royce and 18 with engines from Pratt & Whitney.

Roughly speaking, it breaks down like this: Japanese and Korean customers went with Pratt & Whitney, while Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Thai Airways chose Rolls-Royce. For you as a spotter, that means: if you see the strikingly huge, perfectly round GE90 nacelle on a long 777, it’s almost certainly a 777-300ER. Slimmer nacelles with Rolls-Royce or Pratt & Whitney character point to the older 777-300. How to systematically tell engines apart is shown in the guide How to recognize engines.

The three features that are enough to identify it

You don’t need a database to classify it, just a clear look at three details.

Long plus short wingtips gives you the 777-300. To confirm, check the type code in the tracking data: B773 stands for the 777-300, B77W for the 777-300ER. What’s behind these codes is explained in IATA and ICAO codes explained. If you want to be completely sure, also look up the registration – more on that in Understanding aircraft registrations.

777-300 or 777-300ER?

The ER version came to market in 2004 and made the 777-300 a phase-out model practically overnight. It takes the long fuselage but combines it with more fuel, higher weight and significantly more range. The table shows the most important differences.

Feature	777-300	777-300ER
ICAO type code	B773	B77W
First flight	October 16, 1997	February 24, 2003
Launch customer	Cathay Pacific (1998)	Air France (2004)
Wingtips	short and straight	swept back (raked wingtips)
Wingspan	60.93 m	64.8 m
Length	73.86 m	73.9 m
Engines	Trent 800 or PW4000	GE90-115B only
Max. takeoff weight	around 299 t	around 351.5 t
Range	around 11,100 km	around 13,650 km
Built	60	over 830

The numbers explain the history. The 777-300 was made for busy medium- and long-haul routes within Asia or between Asia and the Middle East, not for ultra-long-haul. When Boeing offered an ER version that flies nonstop between continents with the same cabin, almost all prospects switched. The last 777-300 was delivered in 2006.

Telling it apart from other long widebody jets

Besides its own family, there are a few candidates that look similar in poor visibility or at a great distance. The finder helps narrow it down.

The A340-600 is similarly long but carries four engines and winglets. The 777-9 exceeds the 777-300 once more in length and wingspan and stands out with its folding wingtips. Within the Boeing widebody family, the hints in How to tell the Boeing 777 and 787 apart also help. If you’re looking for the short sister, you’ll find it at 777-200ER.

Who has flown the 777-300 – and who still does

The 60 aircraft went to eight customers, almost all from Asia and the Middle East. The situation has changed greatly since the COVID crisis, and many examples have been retired. The following overview reflects the state of accessible fleet overviews (October 2026); changes are possible at any time.

Airline	Status	Note
Cathay Pacific	active	Launch customer and largest operator, still around 17 aircraft in two-class seating at the end of 2025
All Nippon Airways	active, phasing out	Still three aircraft with over 500 seats in mid-2026, replacement by 787-10 planned
Korean Air	active	most recently four aircraft in two-class seating
Singapore Airlines	historic	twelve aircraft in total from 1998
Emirates	historic	retired between 2016 and 2019
Japan Airlines	historic	seven aircraft, 1998 to 2021
Thai Airways	historic	six aircraft, retired early in 2020

Cathay Pacific is still the first address. The Hong Kong airline uses its 777-300s in dense seating on regional routes and is a member of oneworld. At All Nippon Airways, the long 777 flies with a great many seats on busy routes, but its farewell is foreseeable. Korean Air operates a small group flying out of Seoul.

The 777-300s of Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Japan Airlines and Thai Airways are history. At Emirates, the type is also linked to the accident of Flight EK521: on August 3, 2016, 777-300 A6-EMW touched down on the runway in Dubai after a botched go-around and burned out. All 300 people on board were able to leave the aircraft; a firefighter died during the firefighting operation.

Where to find the 777-300

In German-speaking countries, the 777-300 is practically no longer an option. A long 777 in Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich is almost always a 777-300ER. For the real B773, a trip to East Asia is worthwhile.

Location	Chance of success	Why
Hong Kong (HKG)	high	Home base of Cathay Pacific with the largest remaining fleet
Tokyo Haneda (HND)	medium	ANA uses the 777-300 on busy routes
Seoul Incheon (ICN)	medium	Korean Air hub
DACH region	very low	The variant hardly flies to Europe anymore

At Hong Kong Airport, you have the best chances of seeing several 777-300s in a day; locations and tips are collected in the guide Plane spotting in Hong Kong. In Tokyo, the observation deck at Haneda Airport offers a comfortable view of the apron at Tokyo Haneda Airport; more places are listed in Plane spotting in Tokyo. You can catch Korean Air at Seoul Incheon Airport.

How to follow individual flights live and find the type code B773 in the data is explained in the guide to Flight tracking with ADS-B. How rare your sighting actually is can be assessed with Assessing the rarity of a sighting.

Photo tips specifically for the 777-300

With the 777-300, length is both subject and challenge. These points will help you get more out of the encounter.

When the light is right at your spot, you can work out in advance with the guide Planning sun position for your photo spot.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The 777-300 was Boeing’s first attempt to make the Triple Seven a jumbo replacement: ten meters more fuselage, many more seats, but only medium range. Commercially it was quickly overshadowed by the 777-300ER, and with 60 built, it is a true rarity today. You can recognize it by the long fuselage, the short, straight wingtips and engines from Rolls-Royce or Pratt & Whitney – and by the type code B773.