Boeing and Cargolux confirmed an order today for ten 777-8F full freighters plus six options. The order was signed at a ceremony at CargoLux’ headquarters in Luxemburg in the presence of Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal. Cargolux confirms order for ten Boeing 777-8Fs.
It was on the Wednesday evening of the Farnborough Airshow in July that Boeing’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing Ihssane Mounir was notified by Cargolux that the carrier had selected the 777-8F as the replacement aircraft for its 747-400F fleet. Mounir shared the news with the media in the closing press conference on Thursday but was unable to specify the exact number of aircraft that Cargolux was planning to buy.
These discussions have happened since then and were concluded last month when Boeing added the order to its September list. The order showed on Tuesday when the airframer published its monthly orders and deliveries for the past month. Actually, there were twelve 777X in there for undisclosed customers, which opened up speculation about who would be the buyers.
“The agreement we signed today will consolidate Cargolux’s position as a global leader of air freight services. Replacing our aging fleet of 747-400 Freighters with the latest technology and fuel-efficient 777-8 Freighter model will contribute to our long-term sustainability program while continuing to offer our customers the tailored service they expect,” Richard Forson, Cargolux president & CEO, said in a joint Boeing-Cargolux press release.
Cargolux CEO Richard Forson and BCA President and CEO Stan Deal at the signing ceremony in Luxemburg. Ihssane Mounir is behind the aircraft model on the right. (Cargolux)
The freight specialist currently operates a fleet of fifteen 747-400Fs with an average age of almost eighteen years, plus fourteen 747-8Fs that are 9.6 years old. The 777-8Fs will become the first twin jets in Cargolux’ fleet, as the airline has always operated four-engined aircraft. The new Boeing should offer a thirty percent fuel burn improvement over the -400Fs and 25 percent better operating costs per tonne.
Since the launch of the 777-8F in January with an order from Qatar Airways, Boeing says that the type has secured more than fifty orders. That’s not entirely correct, it seems. Qatar placed a firm order for 34 plus sixteen options. In March, Ethiopian Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding for five aircraft, but this still needs confirmation. This was followed by Lufthansa Cargo in May, which placed a firm order for seven. In July, ANA swapped two 777-9s for two 777-8Fs and confirmed them in Farnborough. That makes 43 confirmed orders. Whether the two remaining 777X for undisclosed customers in the September backlog are freighters or -9s is unconfirmed.
Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.
