Air America 777-200ER | 2019

Airline - Air America
Aircraft - Boeing 777-200ER | N551MA
Delivered to Brasileira, 1998
Sold to CTN Capital Group, 2017
Stored at Pinal Airpark, 2017
Sold to Air America, 2019
Livery - Standard 2019
Country - United States of America

Air America, founded in early 2019, aims to provide long-haul service from some of the largest midwestern cities and metropolitan areas which are critically underserved by all major carriers, apart from in the domestic market. The four initial hubs for Air America are Indianapolis, Cleveland, Columbus, and Milwaukee. The airline began by receiving $300 million in startup capital from a variety of investors, using this to purchase seven used 777-200ERs from CTN Capital Group, and begin flying from the four cities named above to London Gatwick, Paris Orly, Frankfurt, Milan Malpensa, etc (all flights are currently flown non-daily). The airline does however hope to eventually order new 787s, which would be significantly more fuel efficient and appropriate size-wise.

The 777 shown here, N551MA, is a 21-year-old aircraft first delivered to Brasileira in 1998. Like the other six aircraft bought by Air America, it was first configured by CTN for sale to a different undisclosed airline which then declared bankruptcy. Because of this, Air America was able to get all seven at very low prices and with a brand new interior (see below), featuring 28 Business Class seats (specifically Zodiac Cirrus seats in a reverse herringbone set-up), 40 Premium Economy, and 308 Economy. The Premium Economy seats in this configuration especially significant as they have the most floor area per seat of any Premium Economy product on any airline in the world, unfolding into a nearly flat bed with over 160 degrees of recline.

N551MA in particular is adorned with the signature of Dan Quayle, Vice President under George H. W. Bush between 1989 and 1993. Quayle is a native of Indianapolis (one of Air America's hubs) and a supporter of the project to provide transatlantic service from 'under-appreciated' midwestern cities. While the large signature on the nose was painted on, he did also personally sign the aircraft, just aft of the L1 door.

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