FLEET - Stratolaunch Expands Hypersonic Flight Test Infrastructure with Acquisition of Boeing 777 Carrier Aircraft

 Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company, today announced it has acquired a Boeing 777-200ER, expanding Stratolaunch’s fleet of carrier aircraft supporting the company’s Talon-A autonomous, reusable, air-launched hypersonic flight test platforms. The addition of the Boeing 777 strengthens the company’s flight test infrastructure, increasing global reach and flight capacity to address customer demand, while also enhancing the company’s ability to offer additional services. 

The acquisition represents another important expansion of Stratolaunch’s fleet of carrier aircraft and complements the company’s existing carrier assets, the Spirit of Mojave and Roc. With three carrier aircraft, Stratolaunch will be well positioned to maintain continuous launch readiness, boosting overall flight capacity by 35%. 

The addition of the Boeing 777 carrier aircraft also increases the company’s global deployment capabilities, supporting operations wherever needed around the world. This expanded fleet supports broader mission profiles, reduces scheduling constraints and accelerates the ability to scale flight operations, including conducting parallel missions. 

“As demand for hypersonic technologies continues to grow, we’re building the operational scale to make routine hypersonic testing a reality for our customers around the world,” said Zachary Krevor, President and CEO of Stratolaunch. “Adding the reliability of a Boeing 777 aircraft to our fleet enhances our flight flexibility and strengthens our long-term capacity as we work to provide the nation and our customers with the test cadence needed to accelerate hypersonic innovation. We look forward to operationalizing the aircraft and expanding our capability to serve customers at the scale and speed required to address hypersonic national security needs.”

The aircraft will undergo modifications to enable the air launch of Stratolaunch’s reusable, fully autonomous Talon-A hypersonic test vehicles from its fuselage, with completion expected in 2027. 

Stratolaunch’s carrier aircraft take Talon-A to altitude before it is air-launched, effectively providing a reusable first stage for hypersonic flight. Compared with traditional ground-launch systems, this approach offers greater range, lower mission costs, flexible deployment and the ability to execute more representative real-world flight profiles.

The acquisition builds on a series of milestones achieved over the past year. In July 2026, the company announced it had surpassed more than 10 successful hypersonic flights with its Talon-A platform, following its February 2026 announcement of a $90.8M contract award under the Department of War Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) for air-launched capability test vehicles.

Together, these achievements reinforce the company’s commitment to enabling faster, more affordable and more responsive hypersonic test development. Serving government and commercial customers, Stratolaunch aims to expand America’s hypersonic testing infrastructure and deliver the vital flight data needed to develop next-generation technologies for national deterrence.

Stratolaunch

FLEET - United Airlines eyes additional aircraft retirements in 2025

United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) is expected to retire 21 aircraft early during 2025, as the company anticipates some softness in the market and prepares to implement a short-term response to new headwinds, according to chief executive Scott Kirby.

Speaking at a Barclays industrial event earlier this month, Kirby discussed the possibility of lower-than-expected profitability outlooks for the first quarter.

“We have seen government and some low-end consumer leisure weakness, which also appears consistent to me with a lot of other data that I look at [...]. You put all that together, and we now expect to be at the low end of our guidance range. So what do we do in response to that? At United, we looked at the situation and said, ‘Well, what we are doing is retiring 21 aircraft early. That is something that will be cash-positive this year’,” he said, noting that in 2024 the carrier had to spend USD100 million on engine overhauls.

United Airlines is retiring the “most expensive aircraft” in its fleet. However, Kirby did not disclose which types the company will be moving away from. ch-aviation reached out to the carrier for additional clarification but it declined to comment.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows that United Airlines' mainline fleet comprises 1,010 aircraft, of which the oldest, on average, are the B767-300ERs (37 in total, averaging 29.1 years), followed by the B757-200s (40, 28.2 years), the B777-200s (19, 28.1 years), and the B737-700s (40, 26 years).

“We built a plan with optionality and flexibility that, if we see short-term headwinds, we can make short-term responses. And that step, the 21 aircraft, correlates to what we have seen,” Kirby added.

In parallel, United Airlines expects to receive 73 aircraft in 2025, including nine B787-9s, sixteen B737-8s, twenty-eight B737-9s, and twenty A321neos.

 CH Aviation

Photo: Duncan Stewart

NEW AIRLINE - Entebbe Airways (Uganda) registers two of the planned three B777-200s as it nears its launch of operations in 1H 2024.

 

The carrier expects to begin with charter flights, with the third B777 due at the end of 2024. A320 aircraft are also being considered.

FLEET - Ghadames Air (Libya) add one B777-200, serial 32889, which was acquired via ACMI lease from Alta Airlines Holdings (US).

Ghadames Airlines is a relatively new airline, having been founded in 2021. However, it has quickly become one of the leading airlines in Libya, thanks in part to its modern fleet of aircraft.

The Ghadames Airlines fleet consists of two types of aircraft: the Boeing 777-200 and the Boeing 737-300.

Boeing Takes New Technologies Out of the Lab and Onto ecoDemonstrator Flying Test Bed

Program to test innovations to enhance safety, sustainability and the passenger experience.

777 will serve as the sixth test airplane in the ecoDemonstrator program.

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SEATTLE, July 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] is launching its latest round of flight-testing to assess new technologies that could address real-world challenges for airplane operators and passengers — from enhancing safety and sustainability to improving the flying experience. The company is debuting a Boeing 777 that will serve as the 2019 flying test bed for 50 projects."This is the latest addition to our ecoDemonstrator program, where we look at how crew and passengers can have a better experience and how technologies can make flying safer, more efficient and more enjoyable," said Mike Sinnett, vice president of product strategy and future airplane development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Using the 777 flying test bed lets us learn faster and move forward on improvements much quicker and with greater fidelity in defining their value."

Among the technologies being tested on this year's ecoDemonstrator program are:
Sharing digital information between air traffic control, the flight deck and an airline's operations center to optimize routing efficiency and safety.
An electronic flight bag application that uses next-generation communications to automatically provide rerouting information to pilots when weather conditions warrant.
Connected cabin technologies that make galleys and lavatories smart, and monitor cabin conditions such as temperature and humidity to facilitate automatic adjustments.
Cameras to provide more passengers with a view outside the airplane.

Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program first took to the skies in 2012. Five airplanes — a 737-800, 787-8 Dreamliner, 757, Embraer E170 and 777 Freighter — have tested 112 technologies through 2018. More than a third of the technologies have transitioned to implementation at Boeing or by program partners. Nearly half remain in further development while testing on the other projects was discontinued after learnings were accomplished.

Among the technologies now in use are iPad apps that provide real-time information to pilots, enabling them to reduce fuel use and emissions; custom approach path information to reduce community noise; and a camera system on the 777X that will help pilots avoid ground obstacles.

A key part of the ecoDemonstrator program is collaboration with industry partners to jointly test technologies and share learnings that advance aviation. More than a dozen partners are participating in the 2019 program, including an industry consortium developing a connectivity standard for networked cabins of the future known as iCabin.

Flight tests will be conducted this fall. The flights will include a trip to Frankfurt Airport in Germany, where the ecoDemonstrator's technology mission will be presented to government officials, industry representatives and STEM students to help inspire the next generation in aerospace leadership. A majority of the test flights will fly on sustainable aviation fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and demonstrate the fuel's viability.

UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL, First B777-200ER - 2-AERA

Ton Jochems - AMS

Korean Air opens Barcelona route from April 2017

Korean Air in the last 24 hours opened reservation for its planned service launch on Seoul Incheon – Barcelona route, scheduled to commence on 28APR17. The airline previously announced its intention to launch this scheduled operation last month. Barcelona will be served by Boeing 777-200ER, 3 times a week.

KE915 ICN1315 – 2010BCN 772 135
KE916 BCN2210 – 1720+1ICN 772 135

Jim Liu - Data & Analysis Manager - Airlineroute, Routesonline

Photo:Duncan Stewart - LAX

Air China Retires Its First 777-200 (Blue Phoenix) Aircraft

By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily | 

Air China, the nation's flag carrier, retired its first Boeing 777-200 aircraft (Blue Phoenix), after a final commercial flight CA1314 from Shenzhen to Beijing on March 26.

The 777-200, Registration B-2059, painting a special blue Phoenix livery, landed smoothly at No. M07 gate at Beijing Capital International Airport at 7:14 p.m. on March 26, marking an end of its 18 year' service in Air China.

On October 28, 1998, the B-2059 aircraft officially joined the fleet of Air China, which was the first 777-200 of the airline. With 18 years' operation, the aircraft had flown 45,812 hours.

Air China's first 777-200 aircraft is now grounded for sale, together with other two ones - Registration B-2064 and B-2066.

BRITISH AIRWAYS - B777-200 - G-YMML

PedroMB/FPP - Lisboa

BRITISH AIRWAYS - B777-200- G-YMML-Great Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, with the scheme created by Chinese fashion designer Masha Ma.

Nick Bee - LHR - UK

ETIHAD AIRWAYS (ex AIR INDIA ) - B777-200 - A6-LRE

Ton Jochems - AMS

ETIHAD AIRWAYS - B777-200 - A6-LRC - Former Air India VT-ALA arriving for repaint in Etihad colours

Ton Jochems - AMS

AMERICAN AIRLINES - B777-200 - N790AN

Rui Silva - LHR

MALAYSIA AIRLINES - B777-200, 9M-MRL

Alexandre Mourinha - Kuala Lampur

THAI AIRWAYS - B777-200,HS-TJU

Alexandre Mourinha  - Kuala Lampur

JAL JAPAN AIRLINES - B777-200, JA8985

JAL's new special livery for cerebrating 30th anniversary of Tokyo Disney Resort

Hajime SUZUKI - Osaka - Itami Inter, Japan

JAL B777-200, JA8981, "Waku Waku Aloha" Plan promoting Hawaii trip

Akira Uekawa - Tokyo - Haneda - 2011

KLM ASIA - B777-200, PH-BQF

Ton Jochems - AMS

EMIRATES - B777-200, A6-EMD

Pedro Filipe - LPPT

EUROATLANTIC - B777-200, CS-TFM

Rui Silva