Qatar Airways announced today, through its Cargo division, a firm order with Boeing for five more 777F aircraft, in a deal with a total value of US$ 1,7 billion, when considering the list price of this aircraft.
The announcement at the 2018 Farnborough Airshow was attended by the Minister of Finance of the State of Qatar and the President of Qatar Airways, Ali Shareef Al Emadi. This firm order is derived from a letter of intent signed by the company in April of this year.
The agreement with Qatar Airways also includes the use of services provided by the Boeing Global Services division, such as maintenance and fleet management.
Qatar Cargo already has 13 777Fs in its fleet, and also has two other 747-8Fs. With this latest order, the airline is expected to increase its fleet of Boeing freighters to more than 20 planes. In addition, Qatar Airways operates eight more Airbus A330-200F aircraft.
Boeing has sold 65 wide-body freighters in 2018 and more than 180 wide-body freighters since the beginning of 2014, which equates to a 98% market share. At the same time, Boeing delivered more than 140 wide-body freighters, representing 92% of deliveries.
According to Boeing, last year the global air cargo market grew by 9%, more than double the previously projected growth rate of around 4,2%.
In January 2018, above-trend growth continued with an 8% increase in demand.
The 777 Freighter is based on the 777-200LR airliner and can fly 9070 kilometers with a payload of 112 tons.
