Boeing 777-8 Freighter versus the Airbus A350F

With the official launch of the Boeing 777-8 Freighter, we can now make a comparison with that other new full freighter that was officially launched last July: the Airbus A350F. Boeing 777-8 Freighter versus the Airbus A350F. Dimensions: By length, the Airbus and Boeing are remarkably close: 70.8 meters for the A350, 70.9 meters for the Boeing. The Boeing has a significantly wider span: 71.8 meters including folding wingtips, 64.82 meters with folded tips. Even with the tips up, the span is still wider than the 64.75 meters of the Airbus. On height, the Boeing also is taller: 19.5 meters versus 17.08 meters. It makes the A350F the more compact full freighter and the 777-8 Freighter the tall one, especially with her huge General Electric GE9X engines that have a wider fan diameter than that of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97s. The wingspan of the A350F is 64.75 meters, just a few centimeters short of the 777-8 Freighter with the wing tips folded up. (Airbus) Weight: The Airbus A350F comes with a Maximum Take-Off Weight of 319 tonnes and a maximum landing weight of 280 tonnes. Airbus claims the A350F is 30 tonnes lighter than the competition. There is no official comparable data available of the new Boeing. Some media quote 365.2 tonnes, which compares to 347.8 tonnes for the current 777F and a maximum landing weight of 260.8 tonnes. The 777-8F has space for a combined 31 pallets on the main deck, compared to 26 on the A350F. (Boeing) Payload capacity: This is where cargo operators will be having a good look at: the payload capacity of the new big freighters. The A350F has a maximum structural payload capacity of 109 tons, but the revenue payload will likely be around 100 tons. The 777-8 Freighter is listed with 112.3 tonnes capacity, but in the press release, Boeing says that the maximum structural payload capacity of 118 tonnes. This gives the Boeing an edge over the Airbus of some 10-12 tonnes. For the forwarders that are looking at volume (especially those in the e-commerce market), the Airbus offers 30 pallets sized 96 x 125 x 118 inch or 30 AM containers on the main deck. In the belly hold, there is space for 12 pallets or 40 LD3 containers. The volume is 693.8 cubic meters. The Boeing has main deck space for 26 pallets of 96x125x118 inch, four pallets of 96x125x116 inch, and a single 96x125x96 inch pallet at the back of the cabin just ahead of the rear bulkhead. This makes 31 pallets. In the belly hold, there is space for 13 96x125x64 inch pallets or likely 26 LD3 containers, although Boeing isn’t providing details on the number of containers. The total cargo volume is 766.1 cubic meters. This includes a 17 cubic meters hold at the back of the lower deck for some smaller bulk cargo. Graphic showing the range of the current 777F from London. Range of the 777-8 Freighter Ris 1.037 kilometers shorter. (Boeing) Range: The Airbus A350F offers a range of 4.700 nautical miles/8.700 kilometers at maximum payload compared to 4.410nm/8.167 kilometers for the 777-8F. This is an interesting difference between the two, especially as the 777F has a range of 9.204 kilometers, 1.037 kilometers more than the aircraft that will be its successor. Boeing has always said that the long-range of the 777F is one of its strong points, so it is a bit of a mystery why it has traded in this USP for more payload capacity. Especially at a time when range and volume is preferred by many logistic companies. If the payload on the 777-8 is reduced to the same 100 to 109 tonnes of the A350F, the Boeing should be able to get closer on range again but it seems it would leave some three to ten tons of unused cargo space. That doesn’t sound logical. Except for the payload, range is also influenced by fuel consumption. Both airframers haven’t shared details for their new freighters, nor have GE and Rolls-Royce on their engines. From other available data, we learn that the A350-900 has a fuel capacity of 141.000 liters and the A350-1000 of 159.000 liters. The 777-9 reportedly has a capacity of 198.000 liters. With the new Boeing being the heavier aircraft, it makes Boeing’s claim that the 777X will have a ten percent better fuel efficiency something that needs to be confirmed. The A350F is scheduled to enter service in 2026, the 777-8 Freighter a year later in 2027. (We have updated this story to correct 'tons' into 'tonnes', which is the metric unit used by both Airbus and Boeing)

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