Originally Posted by
procede
Wingspan is important for stand planning as a stand for a 773 might not fit a 77W. I have heard of cases where this mixup almost caused the loss of a winglet.
Indeed so.
Though normally airport stands are classified by ICAO Code Letter, the second part of which determines which aircraft type(s) can be accommodated on a given stand. That, of course, is why the B77W was designed with a 64.8 m wingspan so that it would still fit on a
Code E stand (up to 65 m span) as used by the rest of the 777 family.