Phoenix 1:400 Boeing 777-FZB: DHL Courier Service

The Boeing 777 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap between Boeing's 767 and 747, and to replace older DC-10s or L-1011s. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, with a first meeting in January 1990, the program was launched on October 14, 1990 with a first order from United Airlines. The prototype was rolled out on April 9, 1994, and first flew on June 12, 1994. The 777 first entered commercial service with United Airlines on June 7, 1995. Longer range variants were launched on February 29, 2000 and were first delivered on April 29, 2004.

It is the largest twinjet and has a typical 3-class capacity of 301 to 368 passengers, with a range of 5,240 to 8,555 nautical miles (9,704 to 15,844 km). It is recognizable for its large-diameter turbofan engines, six wheels on each main landing gear, fully circular fuselage cross-section, and a blade-shaped tail cone. It has fly-by-wire controls, a first for Boeing. It competed initially with the out-of-production Airbus A340 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11, with the Airbus A330-300 and the newer Airbus A350 XWB.

The original 777 with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 545,000–660,000 lb (247–299 t) was produced in two fuselage lengths: the initial -200 was followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997; and the 33.25 ft (10.13 m) longer 777-300 in 1998. Those 777 Classics were powered with 77,200–98,000 lbf (343–436 kN) General Electric GE90, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, or Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. The longer range 777-300ER with a MTOW of 766,000–775,000 lb (347–352 t) entered service in 2004, the ultra long-range 777-200LR in 2006, and the 777F freighter in 2009. These long haul variants feature 110,000–115,300 lbf (489–513 kN) GE90 engines and extended raked wingtips. In November 2013, Boeing announced the 777X development with the -8 and -9 variants, scheduled to enter service by 2020. The 777X features composite wings with folding wingtips and General Electric GE9X engines.

The 777 has received more orders than any other wide-body airliner; as of August 2019, more than 60 customers had placed orders for 2,049 aircraft of all variants, with 1,609 delivered. The most common and successful variant is the 777-300ER with 810 delivered and 844 orders. As of July 2018, Emirates was the largest operator with 163 aircraft. By March 2018, the 777 had become the most-produced Boeing wide-body jet, surpassing the Boeing 747. As of February 2019, the 777 has been involved in 28 aviation accidents and incidents, including seven hull-losses (five in-flight and two in ground incidents) resulting in 541 fatalities along with three hijackings.

The 777 Freighter (777F) is an all-cargo version of the twinjet, and shares features with the -200LR; these include its airframe, engines, and fuel capacity. With a maximum payload of 224,900 lb (102,000 kg) (similar to the 243,000 lb (110,000 kg) of the Boeing 747-200F), it has a range of 4,970 nmi (9,200 km). Greater range is possible if less cargo weight is carried.

As the aircraft promises improved operating economics compared to older freighters, airlines have viewed the 777F as a replacement for freighters such as the Boeing 747-200F, McDonnell Douglas MD-10 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11F. The first 777F was delivered to Air France on February 19, 2009. As of August 2019, 170 freighters had been delivered to 23 different customers, with 60 unfilled orders. Operators had 140 of the 777F in service as of July 2018.

In the 2000s, Boeing began studying the conversion of 777-200ER and -200 passenger airliners into freighters, under the name 777 BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter). The company has been in discussion with several airline customers, including FedEx Express, UPS Airlines, and GE Capital Aviation Services, to provide launch orders for a 777 BCF program.

DHL (Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) International GmbH is an international courier, parcel, and express mail service which is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL. Deutsche Post DHL is the world's largest logistics company, now in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, particularly in sea and air mail. The company delivers over 1.3 billion parcels per year.

The company was founded in the United States in 1969 and expanded its service throughout the world by the late 1970s. The company was primarily interested in offshore and intercontinental deliveries, but the success of FedEx prompted their own intra-US expansion starting in 1983.

In 1998, Deutsche Post began to acquire shares in DHL. It reached controlling interest in 2001, and acquired all outstanding shares by December 2002. The company then absorbed DHL into its Express division, while expanding the use of the DHL brand to other Deutsche Post divisions, business units, and subsidiaries. Today, DHL Express shares its DHL brand with business units such as DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Supply Chain. It gained a foothold in the United States when it acquired Airborne Express.