US’s Eastern Airlines takes first 777-300(ER)

Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int’l) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 777-300(ER) in the form of N776KW (msn 32650), ch-aviation research has revealed.

The 15.3-year-old Boeing aircraft was ordered and operated by ANA – All Nippon Airways through March 2021. In April 2021, it was ferried for storage to Mojave. It was re-registered in the United States by Eastern Airlines on February 3, 2022, although it remains parked in California.

The airline is currently at an early stage of its planned expansion into the B777 market. Hitherto a B767 operator, Eastern Airlines announced in September 2021 that it had acquired a total of thirty-five B777s to convert them into freighters under its own Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). Chief Executive Steve Harfst later clarified later to ch-aviation that the pool comprised eleven B777-200s, fifteen B777-200(ER)s, seven B777-300s, and two B777-300(ER)s. Eastern plans to gradually induct them in line with demand and will deploy some as passenger aircraft on charter routes prior to conversion.

Besides the B777s, Eastern Airlines operates one B767-200, four B767-200(ER)s, and six B767-300(ER)s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.