Boeing has unveiled the first 777-200LR Worldliner, which it calls the world's longest-range commercial airplane.
The 777-200LR can carry 301 passengers up to 10,840 miles (17,446 kilometers).
The plane's first flight is scheduled for early March, followed by a seven-month flight-test program that will include approximately 300 hours of ground testing and 500 hours of flight testing, the company said in a statement.
The effort to build the 777-200LR and the 777-300ER, or Extended Range, models began in February 2000 by Boeing, which used General Electric aircraft engines to create the long-range liners in response to airlines that wanted new airplanes serve their non-stop routes, the statement said.
The 777-200LR also will serve as the platform for the Boeing 777 Freighter, which will be the world's largest twin-engine craft hauling air fr! eight.
The first Worldliner is scheduled to be delivered to Pakistan International Airlines in January 2006.
Boeing's 777 family has captured over 60 percent of the commercial airliner market since its October 1990 launch, the company said, with more than 675 of the aircraft ordered – including 104 of the 200LRs and 300ERs.
