On November 29, 2025, United Airlines (UA) placed its very first Boeing 777-200 into long-term storage (as reported in planespotters.net), possibly marking the conclusion three decades of continuous service, though one has to note that the same aircraft has made it to its current storage location at Victorville’s Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) before.
Simple Flying has hinted that this aircraft, which is registered as N777UA and delivered was delivered to this one of the Big Three airline of the United States on May 15, 1995, has been retired. With the amid supply-chain headwinds affecting its original Pratt & Whitney engines, there might be a case to argue for its retirement. The publication did reach out to United Airlines, which didn’t respond immediately to their request.
United Airlines Overview
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| IATA / ICAO Code | UA / UAL |
| Headquarters | Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Primary Hubs |
|
| Founded | 1926 (as Varney Air Lines); adopted the United Airlines name in 1931 |
| Parent Company | United Airlines Holdings, Inc. |
| Fleet Size (2025) | Approx. 960 aircraft |
| Primary Fleet Types | Boeing 737, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787, Airbus A319/A320 |
| Alliance Membership | Star Alliance (founding member, 1997) |
| Key Focus Cities | Boston (BOS), Cleveland (CLE), Guam (GUM), Honolulu (HNL) |
| Notable Milestones | First airline to operate the Boeing 777 commercially in 1995; launch customer for the Boeing 787-10 |
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Background United’s Boeing 777-200 that has Gone to the Storage Facility
First flown June 12, 1994, Boeing 777 type entered commercial service on June 7, 1995 — when United operated the debut route from London Heathrow (LHR) to Washington Dulles (IAD).
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the 777 was:
- The first airliner designed entirely using 3-D computer-aided design tools
- The first completely new commercial jet aircraft developed by the Boeing Company in more than a decade
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According to data from planespotters.net, United currently operates 64 Boeing 777-200s. These have an average age of 26.5 years, making it the aircraft type with the highest average age. Earlier this year, Simple Flying had also carried out an analysis of its Boeing 777-200s that were more than 30 years old.
| Registration | Line Number | Year Built | Age in 2025 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N774UA | 2 | 1994 | 31 years |
|
| N771UA | 3 | 1994 | 31 years |
|
| N773UA | 4 | 1994 | 31 years |
|
| N772UA | 5 | 1994 | 31 years | One of the original 1994-built United 777s. |
| N777UA | 7 | 1995 | 30 years |
|
| N768UA | 11 | 1995 | 30 years |
|
| N769UA | 12 | 1995 | 30 years |
|
Currently, the first of United’s Boeing 777-200 is residing in the aircraft boneyard that is Victorville’s Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA). The same publication has also used data from Ch-Aviation and claimed that “131 Boeing 777s have been scrapped as of mid-2025“.
| 777 Variant | Aircraft Scrapped |
|---|---|
| 777-200ER | 59 |
| 777-300 | 8 |
| 777-200LR | 5 |
| 777-300ER | 15 |
| 777-200 | 44 |
Configuration of the Boeing 777-200 that United Stored in SCLA
United configures its Boeing 777-200 in three different ways- one of them with 50 Business Class Seats, 24 Premium Plus Seats, and 202 Economy Seats. Here are the details:
| Specifications | United Economy® | United Economy Plus® | United® Premium Plus | United Polaris® Business Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of seats | 156 | 46 | 24 | 50 |
| Seat numbers | 33D–G, 34D–G, 35A–38B, 41A–C/J–L, 42A–53G | 30D–G, 31A–33L, 33A–C/J–L, 34A–C/J–L, 40A–C/J–L, 41D–G | 20A–22L | 1A–15L |
| Exit rows / doors | Behind row 37; back of cabin | No | No | Front of cabin; between rows 8–9 |
| Seat configuration | 3–4–3 | 3–4–3 | 2–4–2 | 1–2–1 |
| Standard seat pitch (legroom) | 31″ (78 cm) | 34″ (86.3 cm) | 38″ (96.5 cm) | 6’6″ (198 cm) sleeping space |
| Standard seat recline | 3″ (7.6 cm) | 4″ (10.1 cm) | 6″ (15 cm) | 180° |
| Limited/Zero recline seats | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Seat width | 17.05″ (43.3 cm) | 17.05″ (43.3 cm) | 18.5″ (47 cm) | 22″ (55.9 cm) |
| Movable aisle armrests | All aisle seats except bulkhead | All aisle seats except bulkhead | All aisle seats | Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 |
| Fixed bassinets | No | 30D–G, 41D–G | 20D–G | 9A, 9L |
All cabins on United’s Boeing 777-200 provide seatback entertainment, personal device streaming, Wi-Fi connectivity, and both USB and AC power, ensuring a consistent baseline of modern passenger amenities across the aircraft.
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Here’s a glimpse of the other version:
| Specifications | United Economy® | United Economy Plus® | United First® |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of seats | 234 | 102 | 28 |
| Seat numbers | D–G in rows 25–26; 27A–37L; 40A–C/J–L; 41A–53G | 17A–24L; A–C/J–L in rows 25–26, 39; 40D–G | 1A–4L |
| Exit rows / doors | Row 39; back of cabin | Rows 17, 39 | Front of cabin |
| Seat configuration | 3–4–3 | 3–4–3 | 2–4–2 |
| Standard seat pitch (legroom) | 31″ (78 cm) | 35″ (88 cm) | 6’4″ (193 cm) sleeping space |
| Standard seat recline | 3″ (7 cm) | 4″ (10 cm) | 180° |
| Limited/Zero recline seats | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Seat width | 17.1″ (43.4 cm) | 17.1″ (43.4 cm) | 19″ (48.3 cm) |
| Movable aisle armrests | All rows | All rows | All rows |
| Fixed bassinet | No | 40F–G | No |
In this second type of configuration of its Boeing 777-200s, United offers Wi-Fi, streaming entertainment, and AC power outlets, across all cabins, though USB availability varies, and seatback screens are exclusive to United First. And it is in this way that United configured its N777UA.
Here’s the third way that United configures its Boeing 777-200s:
| Specifications | United Economy® | United Economy Plus® | United First® |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of seats | 206 | 124 | 32 |
| Seat numbers | 27A–37L, 42A–53G | 16D–26L, 39A–41L | 1A–4L |
| Exit rows / doors | Forward of row 39 and back of cabin | Forward of rows 16 and 39 | Front of cabin |
| Seat configuration | 3–4–3 | 3–4–3 | 2–4–2 |
| Standard seat pitch (legroom) | 31″ (78.7 cm) | 34″ (86.4 cm) | 6’4″ (193 cm) sleeping space |
| Standard seat recline | 3″ (7.6 cm) | 4″ (10 cm) | 180° |
| Limited / Zero recline | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Seat width | 17.1″ (43.4 cm) | 17.1″ (43.4 cm) | 19″ (48.3 cm) |
| Movable aisle armrests | All rows except bulkhead | All rows except bulkhead | All rows |
| Fixed bassinet | No | 40F–G | No |
All three cabins feature seatback and personal device entertainment, Wi-Fi, power outlets, and USB ports, though United First remains the only cabin with a fully lie-flat sleeping surface.
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Why This Faintly Possible Retirement Now: Supply-Chain and Economic Pressures
United’s possible decision to store its first 777-200 reflects a broader challenge facing older aircraft in the current economic and regulatory climate. According to the report announcing the storage, supply chain challenges surrounding Pratt & Whitney engines forced the airline to park several of its legacy 777-200s,
As the aircraft age, maintenance becomes costlier and parts harder to source. With technological advances in newer wide-bodies and more efficient models such as the Airbus A350-900 (which United had planned earlier as a replacement for many 777-200ERs) the economic case for retaining decades-old airframes becomes weaker.
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All in All
For now, we don’t quite have a confirmation whether United has retired its first Boeing 777-200. We do know that until November 2016, N777UA was configured “F8C40Y218” and was re-configured “C28Y336” Nov 2016. We also know that until 2005, the aircraft was named “Working Together” and has been stored at SCLA between 29 Jul 2021 – 26 May 2022.
Whether N777US has been retired is something no one knows for sure, and we will have to wait for United to confirm this.