The first Boeing 777 aircraft ever built – a Boeing 777-200 L/N 1 (in service with Cathay Pacific Airlines till June 2018 and registered B-HNL) has finally been retired from commercial service.

This aircraft was the first of its type, built by Boeing in 1994. Although United Airlines was the launch customer of the Boeing 777 in the year 1995, this aircraft served as a test aircraft for Boeing till Cathay Pacific acquired it in the year 2000. It flew with Cathay Pacific for 18 years before being retired from the fleet in June 2018. The original registration of this aircraft while with Boeing was N7771 (aptly so!) and changed to B-HNL upon joining the Cathay Pacific fleet.

It was powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 877 engines, and had a seating capacity of 335 passengers in a two class configuration. It was Cathay Pacific’s standard workhorse for regional high density flights for over a decade and a half.

The aircraft was flown yesterday from Hong Kong to Tucson, Arizona where it will be kept on permanent display at the Pima Air and Space Museum.