Create Your Own World's Longest Flight on Boeing's Private 777X
While Gulfstream has cemented itself as a go-to symbol for business travel, Boeing's latest jet has the edge in one crucial department: range. Boeing Business Jets announced on Monday that it's launching the BBJ 777X, a fresh model that can fly "more than half way around the world without stopping, farther than any business jet ever built."
Customers can choose between two models: the BBJ 777-8 and BBJ 777-9. The BBJ 777-8 offers the longest range of 11,645 nautical miles (21,570 kilometers), with a 3,256 square foot (302.5 square meters) cabin that'll make Qatar's Qsuite and Emirates first class seem fairly plebeian. The BBJ 777-9 provides an even larger cabin measuring 3,689 square feet (342.7 square meters), with range taking a slight hit at 11,000 nautical miles (20,370 kilometers).
For perspective, the world's longest (current) commercial flight is a 9,500-mile journey between Newark (EWR) and Singapore (SIN), which we reviewed in both business class and premium economy. For the well-heeled, this jet will enable an even longer — and certainly more exclusive — world's longest flight.
Greg Laxton, head of Boeing Business Jets, at the bi-annual Middle East Business Aviation Association Show (MEBAA), stated: "Our most exclusive customers want to travel with the best space and comfort and fly directly to their destination. The new BBJ 777X will be able to do this like no other airplane before it, redefining ultra-long range VIP travel."
While at the gala, BBJ unveiled interior concepts from Greenpoint Technologies, Jet Aviation and Unique Aircraft Design. As you'd probably expect, anyone with enough cash to spring for one of these will likely spring for a cabin that's simply extraordinary. There's no mention yet of expected cost, and it's likely that only a handful will ever be ordered. Crystal Skye's luxury charter 777 costs $50,000 per hour. A commercial 777-8 has a list price of nearly $395 million, while the 777-9 has a list price of roughly $426 million.
In fact, since its launch in 1996, Boeing Business Jets has delivered just 234 jets on 261 orders — roughly 10 jets a year. Of course, it couldn't hurt to inquire with Santa on exactly how good you've been this year.
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