Boeing

Worldwide travel aboard the Boeing 777 just got a little easier. The twin-engine jet has been awarded type certification from the Aviation Register (AR), the aviation regulatory agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which consists of 11 nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union.

Type certification formally acknowledges that the 777 meets all the requirements of the Aviation Register and is approved for operation by airlines based in the CIS. During the past few months, the Boeing 777 Program demonstrated compliance with AR regulations, including those addressing flight safety, airplane systems performance, handling characteristics, continued airworthiness and production.

"The CIS represents a large and growing part of the world market for the 777," said Ron Ostrowski, vice president and general manager - 777 Program. "Being approved to operate in that arena gives those airline operators the opportunity to add this great airplane to their fleets," he said.

In keeping with the program's service-ready objective, this certification comes in support of the first 777 delivery to Aeroflot-Russian International Airlines in June. Aeroflot plans to operate two 777s, leased from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) of the United States.

Aeroflot selected the General Electric GE90 engines to power its 777s. The AR certified the engine in a separate effort in January.

The 777 earned its type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and its European counterpart, the Joint Aviation Authorities, in April 1995. The airplane has been in commercial service since June 1995. As of the end of first quarter 1998, The Boeing Company had delivered 125 777s to 17 airline customers worldwide.