aircraft safety

Boeing 777 safety record

The 777 has one of the lowest accident rates of any airliner: about a quarter of the average for jets, over three decades of flying.

Read the full record →
Wingspan 64.8 m · 213 ft Length 73.9 m · 242 ft
the record

One of the lowest accident rates of any airliner

Boeing's annual accident summary measures this as fatal hull losses per million departures — how many times in a million flights an aircraft of the type was destroyed in an accident that killed someone. Across the worldwide jet fleet Boeing tracks, since 1959, the figure is 0.52. The 777 stands at 0.12 — about a quarter of that. The figure counts accidents; it leaves out hostile acts, such as the Malaysia Airlines 777 shot down over Ukraine in 2014, and losses whose cause was never determined, such as Malaysia Airlines 370.

Its deadliest crash in an accident as investigators define one, Asiana 214 landing short at San Francisco in 2013, killed three of the 307 people on board. Malaysia Airlines 370, a 777 with 239 people on board, disappeared over the Indian Ocean in 2014; what happened has never been determined. In 2024 a Singapore Airlines 777 met severe turbulence over Myanmar and one passenger died of a suspected heart attack — which is why crews ask you to keep your seat belt fastened whenever you're seated.

at a glance

The 777 in numbers

First flight
1994
In service since
1995 United Airlines
Typical seats
350–425 777-300ER, 2-class
Range
13,890 km
Engines
2 GE90 · PW4000 · Trent 800
Cabin altitude
8,000 ft
Delivered
1,794 as of Aug 2026
Still being built
Yes
bumpy air

A big aircraft moves less in a gust

The 777 carries a lot of weight on every square metre of wing and is long enough that small, sharp gusts partly even out along it, so it rides bumpy air well. What reaches the cabin is usually a slow rise and fall rather than a sharp jolt.

The wings flex in a gust, and they're meant to. From a window seat you can watch the tips lift and settle — the wing absorbing the load rather than passing it on to you.

Why turbulence is not a danger to the aircraft

The bend is drawn exaggerated so you can see it Each wing 32.4 m · 106 ft
your seat

Ten across in economy

When the 777 was new, most airlines fitted nine economy seats across its cabin. Today most fit ten, in a 3-4-3 layout with two aisles — the drawing fits those ten seats and two aisles into the cabin's published width, so you can see how the space is shared.

Ten across makes each seat narrower than on the older nine-across layout. If you have the choice, a window or aisle seat in one of the side blocks of three is the way to avoid the middle of the middle four.

Cabin width 5.8 m · 19 ft Economy 3-4-3
true scale

How big it really is

The 777 is one of the largest aircraft in service. Its stretched 777-300ER is longer than a 747-400, and it flies on a great many of the world's long-haul routes.

Tap any other airliner to lay it over the 777 at exactly the same scale.

The 777 in white, the A320 outlined in gold. Same scale, same metre.

Boeing 777 questions

How safe is the 777?

The 777 has one of the lowest accident rates of any airliner: about a quarter of the average for jets, over three decades of flying. Every figure on this page is sourced — the list is at the bottom.

Is the Boeing 777 bigger than the 787?

Yes, overall. The 777 has a wider fuselage and cabin, larger engines and a longer wingspan than any 787, and its biggest version, the 777-300ER, is longer than any 787. The longest 787, the 787-10, is longer than the shortest 777s.

Why are the 777's engines so big?

Because two engines have to do the work that older jumbos needed four for. A larger fan moves more air more slowly, which is more efficient and quieter, and the 777's engines are among the largest ever put on an airliner.

Is the 777 good in turbulence?

It's a large, heavy aircraft with long wings, so it tends to ride bumpy air comfortably. Like every airliner, it's built to take far more than any turbulence it will meet.

same scale

Every other airliner

Airbus A380 79.8 m · 3-4-3 · 2-4-2 Boeing 747 68.4 m · 3-4-3 Airbus A350 64.8 m · 3-3-3 Airbus A330 60.3 m · 2-4-2 Boeing 787 Dreamliner 60.1 m · 3-3-3 Boeing 767 47.6 m · 2-3-2 Boeing 757 38.1 m · 3-3 Boeing 737 MAX 35.9 m · 3-3 Airbus A320 family 35.8 m · 3-3 Boeing 737 NG 35.8 m · 3-3 Airbus A220 35.1 m · 2-3 Embraer E-Jets 28.7 m · 2-2 De Havilland Dash 8-400 28.4 m · 2-2 ATR 42/72 27.1 m · 2-2
sources

Where these numbers come from

Every figure on this page is from the manufacturer, the certifying authority or the published accident record.

Flying on a 777 soon?

FlyBud shows the exact aircraft on your flight and the turbulence forecast for your route.