Emirates is reportedly expanding its 777F freighter orders. But the airline’s president is scathing about Boeing’s handling of its crisis.
Emirates is an unusual airline. It operates 258 aircraft, only one of which is a narrowbody (a VIP-configured A319). The Gulf carrier obviously relies on its single hub to connect distant destinations, which is why it needs large aircraft. And many of them.
This broad network means that the airline also has substantial cargo operations. Much of this uses spare hold capacity in passenger aircraft, but Emirates also has a fleet of 777F freighters. The Gulf carrier currently has 11 of these jets, with four more on order.
The 777F is a natural choice for Emirates since the airline also has the largest Boeing 777 passenger fleet in the world – primarily 777-300ERs. However, as we have seen, Emirates would like to start replacing this fleet with the newest 777 variant, the 777-9.
Initially, the airline counted on 777X deliveries to start in 2020. The latest news from Boeing is that it won’t start 777-9 deliveries until 2026 at the earliest. Some industry observers expected that announcement already in the summer of this year.
An Emirates 777F Order as the Carrot, Some Comments as the Stick
The news also affects plans for Boeing’s next freighter, the 777-8F. But it is unclear if the Gulf carrier decided to go ahead with its latest reported freighter order because of those developments.
In addition to its 777F fleet, Emirates is also wet-leasing three 747-400BDSF freighter conversions from Aerotrascargo (in Moldova). Obviously, the airline would prefer to use its own, more efficient freighters if possible.
New ICAO emissions regulations that the US has now adopted mean that Boeing won’t be able to produce its 777F and 767F freighters after 2027. Boeing has already indicated that it intends to stop making the 767F freighter on that year.
The manufacturer could pursue an exemption for the 777F since its replacement will be just around the corner by then. Of course, that’s assuming that the 2028 EIS of the 777-8F isn’t pushed back further.
This news of an Emirates 777F order comes just days after Tim Clark, the Emirates President, openly expressed doubts about Boeing’s ability to avoid bankruptcy. The airline boss said that Boeing needs to demonstrate that it can raise the funds it needs to stay solvent. Boeing has since made several moves to secure as much as $35 billion in funds.
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