Boeing delivers 23 freighters in the year 2024

American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has published its orders and deliveries report with data up to December 31, 2024.

For cargo, specifically freighters, Boeing has delivered 23 aircraft, primarily Boeing 777Fs and Boeing 767-300Fs. Of these, 10 were Boeing 767Fs, delivered to global parcel giants FedEx Express and UPS, with 6 going to FedEx and 4 to UPS. The remaining deliveries of Boeing 777Fs have been taken by airlines including Maersk Air Cargo, Air China Cargo, China Airlines Cargo, CMA CGM Air Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, MSC Air Cargo, and Qatar Airways Cargo.

Boeing has received 43 freighter orders, combining the B777F and B767-300F variants. Of these, 8 orders for the Boeing 767-300F have been placed by an unidentified customer(s). The remaining orders are for Boeing 777Fs, placed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) Customer Finance, a Boeing subsidiary, Emirates SkyCargo, National Airlines, Silk Way West Airlines, Turkish Cargo, and additional orders from unidentified customer(s).

Boeing has 111 unfilled orders for 777Fs and 767Fs. Of these, 35 are for Boeing 767Fs, including 10 for FedEx, 8 from unidentified customer(s), and 17 for UPS. The remaining 76 orders are for Boeing 777Fs, placed by Air China Cargo, Atlas Air, BCA Customer Finance, China Airlines Cargo, DHL, Emirates SkyCargo, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, FedEx, National Airlines, Silk Way West Airlines, Turkish Cargo, Volga-Dnepr UK, Western Global Airlines, and an unidentified customer(s).

Although these figures are for B777Fs and B767Fs, Boeing, perhaps, has made the delivery of the last unit of its most popular passenger airplane, the B777-300ER. The last order and delivery of B777-300ER, recorded in December 2024, were to Altavair, an asset management firm specialising in managing commercial aviation assets. Although this aircraft was originally intended for China Southern Airlines, it made its maiden flight in January 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems the delivery to the airline did not take place and the aircraft was parked in the California desert.

The previous order for the B777-300ER was placed in July 2019 by KLM for two aircraft. They were delivered in March 2021. Before the December 2024 delivery, Boeing delivered 3 units of it in April 2022 to BOC Aviation Singapore.

While the freighter version of B777 is based on the B777-200LR, B777-300ER is considered the best wide-body passenger aircraft for cargo transport in bellies. The aircraft is considered an ideal choice for conversion due to its long fuselage, which allows for a greater volume of cargo.

The three main conversion programmes for the Boeing 777-300ER are from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Kansas Modification Center (KMC), and Mammoth Freighters.

All conversion programmes are still awaiting Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs), which are delayed by several months.

Although Boeing has not separately included the orders for the B777X freighter variant, the Boeing 777-8F, in the list, the company has mentioned that it has received orders for 30 of these aircraft in 2024. However, Boeing has 55 orders for the B777-8F from customers including Qatar Cargo, Silk Way West Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo, Cargolux, and ANA Cargo. The aircraft is expected to enter service by 2028.

The company has 348 year-to-date (YTD) deliveries of aircraft and 569 gross orders. In addition, there are 377 YTD orders after cancellations and conversions, along with 317 YTD net orders. The total number of unfilled orders stands at 6,245.