I must admit I was also surprised when I heard they were going to repair it.
Some interesting comments on possible reasons for repairing it. I wonder what the current availability of 777 airframes is like. Obviously a new 777 will normally have a long lead time, which might influence the decision to repair. But what about used airframes in storage.....perhaps there are just none available at the moment which had perhaps made a repair the better option for the airline.