Boeing B777F unfilled orders hold at 38 in September

Boeing’s unfilled orders for the 777 Freighter remained at 38 as on 30 September 2026, unchanged from the previous month, according to the manufacturer’s latest orders and deliveries report. The backlog held even though two freighters were delivered during the month, because Ethiopian Airlines Cargo’s order for two more aircraft was added to the list.

Air China Cargo and FedEx each took delivery of one B777F in September. Air China Cargo’s aircraft came from the 11 orders listed against unidentified customers as on 30 August 2026. The two handovers take B777F deliveries in 2026 to 20 so far, after 35 in 2025.

Ethiopian signed for the two B777Fs on 30 September as part of a 10-aircraft deal that also covers eight of Boeing’s new-generation B777-8F, which is yet to be certified, with options on eight more. CEO Mesfin Tasew put the catalogue value at $5 billion, though the agreed price is confidential. The state-owned carrier already operates 12 B777Fs. Boeing has booked a total of six B777F orders in 2026, placed by China Airlines, China Southern Cargo and Ethiopian Airlines Cargo.

Air China Cargo’s 14th B777F, registered B-229D, joined its fleet on 1 October, coinciding with China’s 77th National Day. The carrier now operates 24 freighters, made up of 14 B777Fs, eight Airbus A330s and two Boeing 747s. It has also ordered 10 Airbus A350Fs, comprising six announced in November 2025 and four more added in May 2026. These are expected to complement its A330-200P2F fleet on long-haul and medium-to-long-haul routes.

The current-generation freighter would have gone out of production at the end of 2027, when ICAO-based emissions rules bar newly built aircraft that miss fuel-efficiency and CO2 limits from receiving a first airworthiness certificate. The GE90-powered B777F does not meet those limits. Citing delays to the B777-8F, Boeing sought relief from the FAA, which has granted an exemption for up to 35 new B777Fs certified between 1 January 2028 and the end of 2030. The B777-8F is targeted to enter service in 2029, though some customers expect 2030.

At the end of September, FedEx accounted for seven of the 38 aircraft, Saudia for four and Emirates for three, with China Airlines, China Southern Cargo, Silk Way West Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines Cargo at two each. Six were listed against Volga-Dnepr UK Limited, which is in administration, and 10 against unidentified customers.

The order also comes as Airbus’s A350F, which flew for the first time from Toulouse on 29 September, begins to challenge Boeing’s freighter franchise. Airbus had 115 A350F orders from 14 customers at the end of August.