Qatar Airways has become the launch customer for Boeing’s new 777-8 Freighter, the air cargo variant of the 777X passenger jet that the Middle East carrier is also launching, with an expected first delivery coming in 2023.
Under a new agreement signed with Boeing, Qatar will convert 60 of its existing 777X family orders to the 777-8 Freighter with a firm order for 34 jets and options for 16 more. With a range of 4,410 nautical miles (8,167 km), the 777-8 Freighter has a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes and will feature a new carbon-fiber composite wing.
Boeing signed the 777-8 Freighter launch customer agreement with the airline during a ceremony held at the White House on Monday. Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said in a statement that the airline is “honored” to become the launch customer for an aircraft that 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.”
The 777-8 Freighter will be built at Boeing’s Everett, Washington factory where the company has invested “more than $1 billion” to support 777X production, according to a Jan. 31 press release. Boeing notes that the payload capacity on the 777-8 Freighter is nearly identical to the existing 747-400 Freighter with a “25% improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and operating costs.”
Qatar’s 777-8 Freighter fleet will be powered by the GE9X engine, after the airline signed a $6.8 billion purchase order with GE Aviation, one of the biggest announcements for the engine-maker since it announced a new strategic business plan to spin-off its healthcare division, while combining its energy, power and digital divisions into one business that will leave the industrial giant’s sole focus on aviation within the next…