Qatar Airways will be the launch customer for the freight version of Boeing’s 777x Freighter once it’s ready for service, with a firm order for 15 of the planes and options for 50 more.
That’s double the number of freighters the airline is operating now, which means that even if it retired all its existing fleet of 777s and 747s it would be doubling the size of the operation. And, since the 777x-8 is the largest two-engine plane every built, the planes it has ordered have much larger capacity than the current 777s. That indicates Qatar is making a big move on air cargo at a time when the business is booming.
Boeing also has 351 orders from eight airlines for the 777x passenger versions, which were supposed to enter service in 2020 but will now not operate until next year. Qatar also announced a new ‘memorandum of understanding’ for 50 of 737-10 Max jets, the largest version.
