Boeing’s logo on its Renton, Washington site (AFP/Archives/Jason Redmond)
Qatar Airways on Monday ordered 34 of the freighter version of Boeing’s new jumbo jet, the 777X, with an option for 16 more aircraft, becoming the first carrier to buy the aircraft under the more than $20 billion contract.
The company, which formalized this agreement during a visit by the Emir of Qatar to the White House, also signed a letter of intent for 25 737-10 aircraft and indicated that it was ready to order a total of up to ‘to 50,737 MAX.
The announcement marks a disappointment for Airbus, which last summer launched a freighter version of its A350 hoping to better compete with Boeing on the freight market. The European manufacturer has so far given free rein to its competitor and its B747, B767 and B777.
But Airbus is in open conflict with Qatar Airways, which accuses it of defects on its passenger A350s.
For Boeing, this is a breath of fresh air. The order of 50 devices “represents two full years on the production lines”, underlined its managing director, Dave Calhoun, on the occasion of the signing ceremony.
The freighter version of the 777X “will meet an important need in the supply chain”, he also stressed.
The 777X program was launched in 2013 and the first aircraft were originally scheduled to enter service in 2020. But the first deliveries have been postponed several times and are now expected at the end of 2023.
The group has certainly seen its deliveries begin to recover in 2021 after two years of scarcity linked to the setbacks of its star plane, the 737 MAX, and the pandemic.
But he must also manage the suspension of deliveries of the long-haul 787 Dreamliner, plagued since the summer of 2020 by production problems, which has cost him $ 5.5 billion so far.
By launching a freighter version of the 777X, Boeing is trying to take advantage of the current surge in air freight, driven by the rise of online commerce and congestion in maritime transport.
This segment is a welcome source of revenue as orders for large passenger aircraft are devastated by the Covid-19 outbreak and the drop in international flights.
© 2022 AFP
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