Air Canada’s oldest Boeing 777-300ER, C-FITL began service back in March, 2007. This is one of 19 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the main fleet. In recent years, the airliner has gone through significant reconfiguration, adding 51 seats. We photographed the B77W on April 22, 2018 while plane spotting at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on C-FITL, the Boeing 777-300ER model in general and the airline.
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C-FITL
Boeing 777-300ER
Air Canada
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C-FITL Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER Image Gallery
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C-FITL
A storied past, C-FITL performed its first flight on March 21, 2007 and was delivered to Air Canada on March 31, 2007. This is one of 19 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the main fleet of the Canadian airline and is their oldest.
Currently, the Boeing 777-333ER is configured for a maximum total of 400 passengers with 40 seats in business class, 24 more in premium economy and 336 economy class seats. It wasn’t always this cramped. Prior to 2015, the B77W held just 349 passengers with 42 business class seats and 307 in economy.
C-FITL is not without its troubles. On April 1, 2012, performing a flight from Toronto, Ontario to Beijing, China, passengers may have thought they were being dealt an April Fool’s prank. Truth be told, the passengers probably didn’t have any idea anything was wrong. On approach to Beijing, there was an issue getting fuel from the centre tank, resulting in a minimum fuel condition. An emergency was declared and the aircraft proceeded for a safe landing.
On January 26, 2013, the airliner was flying form Toronto to Shanghai, China. The climb out of YYZ was stopped at 10,000 feet because the cabin was not pressurizing properly. After a fuel dump, the Boeing 777-300ER returned to Toronto for a safe landing. A replacement B77W, C-FIUW, was brought in to complete the flight.
Move ahead to March 3, 2016. C-FITL was flying from Frankfurt, Germany to Toronto. 100 miles east of London, England, an acrid smell was noticed near the forward galley. After a fuel dump, the aircraft was diverted to London Heathrow Airport for a safe landing. But, it doesn’t end there. After being on the ground for seven hours, the B77W took off from London but the smell reappeared when they were just 160 miles out. Once again, the airliner was diverted to London.
Most recently, on May 15, 2017, C-FITL was flying from Frankfurt to Toronto. The climb was stopped at 14,000 feet due to a centre hydraulic failure. The flight was diverted back to Frankfurt for a safe landing. It was discovered that a hydraulic line was disconnected from the Centre Rudder PCU Return, causing the issue.
Boeing 777-300ER
The Boeing 777-300ER was first delivered to launch customer Air France in 2004, nearly a decade after the initial 777 variant was introduced with United Airlines in 1995. The ER is for ‘extended range’ and this aircraft can fly a lofty 13,650 kilometres between stops.
The B77W is 74 metres or 242 feet in length with a wingspan of 65 metres or 213 feet. At the tail, the airliner is 19 metres or 61 feet in height. Though not the most glamorous of the big airplanes, the Boeing 777-300ER is longer than both the Boeing 747-400 (by 10 feet) and Airbus A380-800 (by 3 feet).
Air Canada
Air Canada was founded as Trans Canada Air Lines in 1937. The name was officially switched on January 1, 1965. There are around 175 aircraft in the main fleet with over 400 when subsidiaries are included. The largest in the fleet is the Boeing 777-300ER. The airline flies to over 200 destinations around the world (350 with subsidiaries included).
Headquartered at the Air Canada Centre on the grounds of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Dorval, Quebec, the airline is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Other founding members include Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways and United Airlines. There are now 27 full member airlines worldwide.
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Beijing Capital International Airport