Boeing announced on Monday (31 January) that it has its new 777-8 freighter and expanded its 777X and freighter families of jetliners with an order for up to 50 aircraft from Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways will be the 777-8 freighter launch customer with a firm order for 34 jets and options for 16 more, a total purchase that would be worth more than US$20 billion at current list prices and the largest freighter commitment in Boeing history by value. The order also supports hundreds of U.S. suppliers from across 38 states, will sustain more than 35,000 U.S. jobs, and provide the American economy with an annual estimated economic impact of $2.6 billion during the contract’s delivery period. The move to buy Boeing planes comes as Qatar Airways remains caught up in a legal dispute with Airbus and the recent cancellation by Airbus of a Qatar order for narrowbody A320 family planes.
At the White House, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Ambassador Sheikh Mishaal bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of the White House National Economic Council Brian Deese, and Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun joined the formal signing by Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, who reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to the 777X family with the record-breaking 777-8 freighter deal. First delivery of the new freighter is anticipated in 2027.
“Boeing has a long history of building market-leading freighter aircraft and Qatar Airways is honoured to have the opportunity to be the launch customer for the 777-8 freighter, an aircraft which will not only allow us to further enhance our product offering for our customers, but also help us meet our objectives to deliver a sustainable future for our business,” said Al Baker. “Today marks a great day in the ever-building and strong relationship between Qatar Airways and Boeing. We certainly push Boeing hard to deliver upon our expectations, and the team at Boeing consistently strives to meet and exceed our expectations, giving the opportunity for us to be here today to launch the most significant new freighter aircraft for a generation.”
“We are delighted to launch Boeing’s next great cargo airplane – the 777-8 freighter – with Qatar Airways, one of the world’s largest cargo carriers and our partner since the airline began operations 25 years ago,” said Deal. “Our team is ready to create an airplane that will serve them well for many decades. Qatar Airways’ selection of the efficient 777-8 Freighter is a testament to our commitment to provide freighters with market-leading capacity, reliability and efficiency.”
Boeing is designing the 777-8 freighter, the newest member of the 777X family, to maximise efficiency and environmental performance. The widebody family features engineering design improvements and innovative technologies, including a new carbon-fibre composite wing and new fuel-efficient engines. With a range of 4,410 nautical miles (8,167 km), the 777-8 freighter has a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes, allowing customers to make fewer stops and reduce landing fees on long-haul routes. Boeing will build the 777-8 Freighter in its Everett, Wash., factory. The company has invested more than $1 billion into the Everett site to support 777X production and sustain thousands of local jobs for decades to come.
As part of the agreement, Qatar Airways will convert 20 of its 60 777X family orders to the 777-8 freighter. Qatar Airways is also ordering two current 777 freighters to capitalise on the buoyant air cargo market. Customers from around the world have ordered more than 300 777 freighters since the program began in 2005.
Qatar signs deal with GE for freighter engines
Qatar Airways also announced a new order for GE9X engines as part of its global launch order of up to 50 Boeing 777-8 freighters. The commitment includes 30 GE9X engines and four GE90-115B engines, plus GE TrueChoice services. The total value of the order with GE is more than US$6.8 billion at list prices, including spare engines and a TrueChoice services agreement to cover the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of the engines.
The GE9X engine helps meet GE Aviation’s commitment to a more sustainable aviation industry by introducing the latest generations of heat-resistant Ceramic Matrix Composites materials, additively-manufactured parts and lean burn combustion that help improve fuel efficiency. It is the world’s most powerful and most fuel-efficient turbofan. The GE9X offers the lowest NOx emissions in its class, and is the quietest GE engine ever produced. Like all GE commercial engines, both the GE9X and GE90 are compatible with any approved Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The GE90 engine family is the exclusive powerplant on Boeing’s 777-300ER, 777-200LR, and 777 Freighter aircraft. Since its entry into service in 1995, the GE90 engine has accumulated more than 108 million flight hours and has been among the most reliable in the industry with a world class dispatch reliability rate of 99.98 percent.
MAX MOU signed by Qatar
Boeing and Qatar Airways also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a firm order of 25 737-10 aircraft and purchase rights for 25 additional airplanes. The total value of this 737-10 commitment is nearly US$7 billion at current list prices. The largest model in the MAX family, the 737-10 seats up to 230 passengers in a single-class configuration and can fly up to 3,300 miles. The fuel-efficient jet can cover 99 percent of single-aisle routes around the world. “Qatar Airways very much looks forward to adding the 737-10 to its fleet, with this new variant of the 737 being ideally suited to our short haul network, allowing us an opportunity to further enhance our product offering for our customers, modernise our fleet and operate the most efficient aircraft in its category,” said Al Baker.
For Editorial Inquiries Contact:
Editor Matt Driskill at matt.driskill@asianaviation.com
For Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Head of Sales Kay Rolland at kay.rolland@asianaviation.com
