Aviation: Boeing launches private 777X

Are you in need of the ultimate in airborne personal transport? Well look no further. Today Boeing has launched the VIP or BBJ (Boeing Business Jets) version of its latest twin-engined 777X models - the BBJ 777-8 and BBJ 777-9, the same long-haul aircraft you or I will be flying in when we go to the Far East or the USA in the next few years. These new derivatives will be able to fly further than anything that has come before - 11,640 miles and 11,000 miles respectively - and will "redefine ultra-long-range VIP travel" according to the manufacturer. Globe-spanning performance brings with it the prospect of flying non-stop from London to Auckland New Zealand, or South America to Asia. These new machines will take a business tycoon and their entourage to anywhere there is a suitable airport, in one hop.

The two new models were unveiled at the Middle East Business Aviation Association Show in Dubai, perhaps indicating where the US firm sees the biggest opportunities.

Also revealed were some cabin concepts for the new aircraft, although of course anyone spending $360m to $390m (2018 list price for the airliner with the BBJs likely to be more expensive) on a new ride will be able to specific pretty much anything they want to go in the inside. From bedrooms to boardrooms - the choice will be as wide as the imagination of the owners and companies that fit out the cabins.

Given that no one has yet signed on the dotted line for a BBJ 777X, and when anyone does they are almost certain to specify a custom interior, it is unlikely we will see one of these new aircraft on an airport apron for at least two, or more probably three or even four, years. But with the Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet' nolonger being offered in passenger form (although the VIP version is still on the firm's website so it might produce an example for someone with a large enough cheque book), the BBJ 777-9 will be the largest and most impressive private jet available and will guarantee its owner street-cred - or runway-cred - wherever it goes.