Summary
- The New England Patriots own and operate two Boeing 767s for team travel flexibility.
- Both aircraft are over 30 years old and have been upgraded for first-class seating.
- The Boeing 767 series prioritizes fuel efficiency and offers flexibility in engine choice.
The New England Patriots are one of the world’s most famous sports teams and are considered the third-most valuable sports team in the world. The Patriots play in the National Football League (NFL), and have experienced dominance over the rest of the league over the past 25 years. Originally founded in 1959, the Patriots joined the NFL in 1970 after the AFL-NFL merger occurred. The team moved to Foxborough, Massachusetts, in 1971.
Photo: Tom Morris | Shutterstock
In 1994, Robert Kraft, the current chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, purchased the team. The team was generally unsuccessful in the 20th century, although after Kraft took over ownership, the team began to see success. Kraft hired Bill Belichick to coach the team in 2000 and eventually drafted Tom Brady, one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. This led to the team winning six Super Bowls from 2001-2019, becoming one of the league’s most successful franchises. Currently, the Patriots are tied for the most Super Bowl wins of all time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Because of the frequent success of the Patriots, the team has become increasingly more valuable as a franchise in the NFL. This led to Robert Kraft purchasing several aircraft for the team. This allows the team to have the ultimate flexibility when traveling for the busy 17-week NFL schedule, that typically spans the entire United States. The team can choose when to fly directly to the opposing team’s city, and can also land at the closest airport to its stadium. Currently, the New England Patriots operate two aircraft in the team’s fleet. Let’s take a closer look at these two unique aircraft. Let’s also take a look at what makes these aircraft special and why Kraft chose to operate these aircraft for the Patriots.
The Patriots planes
As previously mentioned, Kraft and the New England Patriots own and operate two aircraft. Both of these aircraft are Boeing 767s, which are registered as N36NE and N225NE, per JetSpy. Both of these Boeing 767-300s were originally delivered to American Airlines in September and October 1991. This brings the current age of the N36NE to 32.7 years and the age of the N225NE to 32.6 years.
Photo: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock
Kraft and the Patriots purchased these aircraft in December 2017. Officially, these aircraft are owned by 2/5/94 LLC, which is based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots have leased out these aircraft several times over the years, once leasing both of the aircraft to Eastern Airlines and most recently, leasing both of the aircraft to Omni Air International. Eastern Airlines also operates both of these aircraft on behalf of the Patriots.
These specific aircraft have been upgraded, so each seat is in a first-class configuration. This allows proper leg room and seating space for the NFL players that will travel onboard. Both of the aircraft are also powered by two General Electric CF6 turbofan engines, which provide the aircraft with over 47,500 pounds of thrust, per FlightAware.
About the Boeing 767
The two aircraft in the New England Patriots fleet are both Boeing 767-300s, which are part of the successful widebody series. Originally, Boeing launched the program in 1978 with the first prototype aircraft flying for the first time just three years later, in September 1981. Eventually, the aircraft entered service with the program’s launch customer, United Airlines. The first delivery of this program, which was a Boeing 767-200 variant, took place on September 9, 1982.
Photo: Eliyahu Yosef Parypa | Shutterstock
Boeing eventually launched a stretched version of the Boeing 767 in October 1986. This aircraft, which was known as the Boeing 767-300, had the following measurements:
- Fuselage length: 180 feet three inches
- Wingspan: 156 feet one inch
- Height: 52 feet
Additionally, the extended range variant, the 767-300ER, was developed in 1988. A freighter version came in October 1995, and an even further stretched aircraft, the 767-400, came in September 2000. Over the years, Boeing has delivered over 1,300 total Boeing 767s. As of April 2024, just under 750 aircraft were still in service, per ch-aviation. The largest operators of these aircraft are FedEx with 129 aircraft in service, UPS with 84 aircraft in service, and Delta Air Lines with 58 aircraft in service, per ch-aviation.
Other features on the Boeing 767
During the development process, Boeing focused on lowering operating costs by increasing fuel efficiency. This replaced prior years in which airlines looked to increase the capacity of the aircraft as much as possible. The aircraft utilized computer-aided design to design a new wing, which was swept at 31.5 degrees during this process. Boeing engineers utilized various aluminum alloys and composite wing surfaces to help reduce the weight of the aircraft.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying
The Boeing 767 can be powered by either the Pratt & Whitney JT9D turbofan engines (later switched to the PW4000), Rolls-Royce RB211’s, or the General Electric CF6 engines. This was the first time an airline could choose what engine it wanted to power its aircraft. The 767-300 requires a 9,200-foot-long runway to take off. This helped the 767-300 reach the following specifications:
|
Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) |
350,000 pounds |
|---|---|
|
Range |
3,900 nautical miles (4,500 miles) |
|
Cruise speed |
459 knots (528 miles per hour) |
|
Maximum speed |
486 knots (559 miles per hour) |
|
Ceiling |
43,100 feet |
The Boeing 767 utilizes a Rockwell Collins avionics system, which uses six CRT screens. This avionics system includes an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and an engine indication and crew alerting system (EICAS). The cockpit is similar to the existing Boeing 757, so pilots can obtain a common type rating to fly both.
