Boeing builds the 777-8F on the best-selling B-777F
The phase of going from design to building the first airplane has begun.
The new generation wide-body production freighter from Boeing is built on the worldwide success of the best-selling 777F and the new 777X. It is positioned as the world’s most capable and fuel-efficient twin-engine freighter for the future. Boeing believes that its highest payload, long-range capability and lowest operating cost per tonne open up new markets and new customers.
Boeing has so far received orders for 55 units of this new freighter from five airline customers. They include Silkway West (2), Cargolux (10), Lufthansa (7), ANA (2) and Qatar Airways (34).
At the air cargo China and transport logistic exhibition and conference in Shanghai late last month, Boeing set up an immersive theatre to let customers and delegates have a realistic experience of the features of the new freighter.
“We built this theatre to be able to provide a full-scale representation of the 777-8F main deck cargo compartment. We use this to show the capabilities, the unique types of cargo it can carry and provide an educational experience on how we designed it from the perspective of what makes this one a special freighter. We've designed this airplane to be a replacement for the B747-400F,” explained John Perdoch, Director, Product Marketing – Freighters, Boeing.
Moving around the immersive theatre Perdoch told me that the freighter design team is listening and talking to the customers regularly.
“We have meetings with our customers all the time. We gather what's important to them. We have teams, spending time with our customers on their ramps, in their airplanes, in their operation centre to learn and have a deep understanding of how they operate their freighters. This is to make sure that the B777-8F fits into their operations as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”
According to Perdoch, Boeing has actually started to produce parts for the aircraft. “The phase of going from design to building the first airplane has begun,” he told me during the video interview for the Conversations series from the B777-8F immersive theatre.
I am an editor with STAT Media Group. Since November 2013 I have been writing stories on how goods move from A to B, B to C and A to all the way up to Z and everything in between across all modes of transport. Mail me at reji@statmediagroup.com if you have some interesting leads to stories – but only about cargo.
