6 November 2015, Vienna Airport
It’s a sunny November day. The ideal weather to go for an interesting trip. And yes, we have a very interesting goal. We are heading to Vienna Airport to get to know the world’s largest “single-deck” passenger plane. We spend the afternoon with Boeing 777-300ER from Emirates.
At the agreed time, we are waiting in the departure hall for Mr. Raphael Grugl, an Emirates representative for the Slovak Republic, who will meet us with this amazing machine and will introduce us to the airline. Meetings took place in a timely manner, and after a brief acquaintance and the provision of visitor cards to move between turnstiles, we moved to check-in, where we have the same control as if we were standard passengers. From there we march through the boarding bridge straight into the plane. On the way, we’ll learn interesting information about the company and about the Dubai-Vienna-Dubai route on which this type is being deployed.
Emirates connects these two destinations 14 times a week. The aircraft has three classes. First Class and Business Class passengers can take advantage of the Air Lounge, where they can spend pleasant moments before departure. There are Emirates Exclusive Airport Lounges in Dubai and more than 30 other destinations around the world. In the United Arab Emirates, the lounges offer guests a rich gourmet and meals from around the world as well as a free full-service bar, including wine and spirits. Other services include a fully equipped business center with Wi-Fi access, a TV, a shower and other amenities. The Emirates representative also explains our interest. Passengers in these higher classes have free Chauffeur-drive service. It’s up to you to pick up the vehicle up to 50 km from the airport if you have First Class and 40 km from the airport if you have a Business Class. And for a fee of 60 € you will be picked up in Bratislava and taken to Vienna Airport.
We, however, have been impatiently embarking on the aircraft and choosing photographic equipment. We pass through all three classes. We see that the seat backrests are equipped with large screens for each passenger. We learn that there are approximately 2000 channels of television, USB ports and Wi-Fi. Economy Class offers 12.1-inch LCD panels and seating in 3-4-3, Business Class more than 20 inch screens and sitting in deluxe separate chairs. First Class means you are sitting in some “cockpits” with guiding bars, separation from other passengers and relaxing in a comfortable chair, allowing for lying down. Lux in this dimension contains everything you can think of. Selected meals and drinks, exclusive wines, mood lighting, video games, a wide selection of music and electronic books, movies and entertainment in more than 25 languages. And, moreover, you are surrounded by a cozy interior full of quality materials. The dear and cordial staff is a matter of course.
After familiarizing with the aircraft from inside, we are moving back to the boarding bridge and out of it straight out, down the stairs to the airport area to view and shoot the aircraft from outside. As we stand before this colossus, we conclude that it is a huge and majestic piece of glamorous technique. The Boeing nose is high above us. We do not hesitate to track the machine through the mirror viewers. We have groaned like tiny ants, and we are confused by running around and around the bogie legs, and massive engines fill our memory cards. Of course, they can not miss poses on Memory. The Boeing 777-300ER sets off breaths with its dimensions. The length of 73.9 m, the height of 18.6 m and the width of the wings 64.8 m say for everything. A wide 6.19 m (widebody) body carries 364 passengers in a three-class configuration. This particular machine has an A6-EGL registration and for clarification it is Boeing 777-36NER with serial number 41072/985. He made the first flight in December 2011, which is a young piece. It is equipped with a pair of GE90-115B guns. The range is more than 14,000 km, travel speeds up to (Mach) 0.84 and reach up to 13 km. The maximum takeoff weight is 351 tons. The main chassis is made up of two chassis legs and each is equipped with 6-wheel trolleys. The front chassis is classic, two-wheeled. The fact that this aircraft is one of the most advanced does not leave anyone in doubt. Reflecting on modern avionics, composite materials, or silent engine operation is meaningless, as it would go into detailed and heavy technical specifications that would fill a dozen bold books. We are bringing you compelling photos from members of our members.
Finally, we would like to thank the Emirates representative in Vienna for this exciting and unusual excursion and companionship to the Emirates world where we have become more familiar with the company and the Boeing 777-300ER.
Niki Kapsamunov
