777-300ER gains three North Asian operators in 2014: China Airlines, China Eastern & China Southern

North Asia will gain three new 777-300ER operators in 2014, boosting the number of 777-300ER operators in North Asia to nine. Deliveries in 2014 to China Airlines, China Eastern and China Southern will, for the first time, see the majority of North Asia's long-haul operators use the 777-300ER, mainly to North America but also to Europe. While the aircraft may be used similarly, their genesis, configurations and implications are different. China Airlines will catch up to EVA Air and replace 747-400s with the 777-300ER, allowing for moderate growth.

China Eastern will replace A340-600s with 777-300ERs and then conduct large long-haul growth, which it originally intended to do with now-cancelled 787s. China Southern will use its 777-300ERs to fill a capacity white spot in its fleet between A330/787 and the A380, evidenced by using the 777-300ER to open a new service to New York JFK.

China Southern will introduce the lowest business configuration yet on the 777-300ER in North Asia with only 34 seats; the average prior to its configuration was 50. This is in contrast to China Eastern, whose 56 business class seats - the second-largest density - come with the tradeoff of fewer economy seats than at China Southern.