BOEING 777 IS SPEED AND DISTANCE CHAMPION A Boeing 777, the first delivered to Malaysia Airlines, recently established new world speed and distance records for its size and class of airplane. The airplane, a Boeing 777-200 increased gross weight (IGW), broke the distance record, officially known as Great Circle Distance Without Landing, by flying from Boeing Field, Seattle, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- a distance of 12,457 statute miles (20,044 kilometers). The second record, known officially as Speed Around the World, Eastbound, was set by traveling the Seattle-Kuala Lumpur-Seattle route at an average speed of 553 mph (889 km/h). The around-the-world journey lasted 41 hours and 59 minutes and covered 23,210 miles (37,345 kilometers). Both records have been verified officially by the National Aeronautic Association, which sent an observer on the flight. The airplane, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines, made the trek with a complete interior, including seating for 278 passengers, and operating galleys and lavatories. News and Media Kits From Paris | Commercial Airplanes | Commercial Airplanes @ Paris