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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Regulators Approve Boeing 777 Certification Enables New Jet To Enter Service In June

Associated Press

Boeing Co.’s new 777 jetliner received formal approval Wednesday from U.S. and European regulators, a critical step for a jet that is to start carrying paying passengers in less than two months.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena, FAA Administrator David Hinson and European aviation authorities attended a special Boeing Field ceremony where about 300 workers, customers and suppliers gathered inside a hanger with a 777 parked nearby.

“We are thrilled and proud of this accomplishment,” Boeing President Phil Condit said.

After 10 months of test flights and years of testing in laboratories and on computer simulators and workbenches, the huge twin-engine aircraft won design and production certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Joint Aviation Authorities.

The design or type certification means the aircraft has been approved to enter passenger service with U.S. and European airlines. The production certification officially approves Boeing’s methods of manufacturing the plane.

Boeing has spent billions of dollars and pinned much of its future on the 777, a plane that competes directly with Airbus Industries’ A330 and A340 aircraft and McDonnell Douglas’ MD-11. The 777 is the only large commercial aircraft developed in this country in the 1990s.

Boeing has announced 141 firm orders for the jet, which sells for $122 million to $167 million, depending on model and options.

The initial customer, United Airlines, will take delivery of its first 777 on May 17 and put it in service June 7 on its London-Washington, D.C., route.

The 209-foot-long 777, second in size only to the 747, is the first U.S. commercial jet to use “fly-bywire” technology - electronic circuits, rather than cables, control the rudder and other flight surfaces. It also makes extensive use of composite materials in its construction. Its two-member flight crew manages a highly computerized cockpit.