Boeing will launch the cargo version of the 777X. This is its first new model in nearly five years. And a firm contract for 15 units would be signed with Qatar Airways. Since various problems in obtaining certification for the passenger 777X have delayed the model’s commercial debut until at least the end of 2023, Boeing will introduce the cargo variant first.
Therefore, Boeing’s unusual move to launch the freighter model ahead of the passenger version reflects two anomalies in the industry today: the vertiginous demand for freighter aircraft in a market that seems to find no ceiling, and the difficulty of placing long-range aircraft with a capacity for around 400 passengers at a time when demand for international travel seems to be failing to take off despite the lifting of restrictions seen in recent months.
Summarizing…
To summarize, just a few days ago, the airline had informed that it was in «advanced negotiations» with the manufacturer for the purchase of 50 units of the 777XF. According to the specialized site Planespotters.net, Qatar Cargo operates a fleet of 28 aircraft. All of them Boeing: 26 777Fs and two 747-8Fs, so the 777XF would be the most natural replacement – or addition – for Qatar’s operation.
Now, according to Bloomberg, the deal is «closed» and will be announced during a meeting on Monday, January 31, between the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and U.S. President Joe Biden. Certainly, the multi-billion-dollar deal would seek to «showcase the strength of business relations between the two nations.»
Qatar Airways, the second-largest in the Gulf behind Emirates, would place a firm order «for about 15 aircraft». «A combination of options and conversions of existing orders» will comprise the remainder of the deal.
Meanwhile, such agreement comes at the height of tension in relations between Qatar Airways and Airbus. As previously discussed, the manufacturer and the airline are engaged in a bitter dispute – which just a few days ago escalated to court – over problems with the A350’s paintwork.
Nevertheless…
The manufacturer maintains that the problem is purely aesthetic. Thus, according to the firm it poses no risk to the safety of the model. Hence they accuse Qatar of «purely financial» interests as the reason for the quarrel. Above all, the operator maintains that the paint degradation has reached «the lower layers of the fuselage. And concludes it compromises the airframe and puts the structural integrity of the aircraft at risk».
