TUCSON, ARIZONA – Tuesday morning a remarkable event enriched the Tucson aviation history.

The very first Boeing 777 ever flown found his new home at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The former Cathay Pacific airliner was built in 1994. Before becoming a part of Cathay Pacific’s commercial fleet in 2000, the aircraft was a test plane. It was operating more than 20,000 flights across the globe over 18 years.

Now the massive aircraft was donated by the company to the Pima Air & Space Museum. It was towed along Valencia Road to its final resting place. It created huge traffic, but the society was happy to welcome the aircraft.

The museum is already home to several other members of the Boeing family of airplanes, including a Boeing 737 and 787. The facility is home to more than 350 historic aircraft.

Davis-Monthan AFB’s role in the storage of military aircraft began after World War II. It has evolved into “the largest aircraft boneyard in the world”. Today, Davis–Monthan hosts the 355th Fighter Wing assigned to the Twelfth Air Force. It is headquartered at the base as part of Air Combat Command. The staffing at the base includes 6,000 Airmen and 1,700 civilian personnel.