Qatar Airways wants to launch upgraded Boeing 777 freighter

Qatar Airways would like to be the first customer for a freighter version of Boeing’s 777X aircraft, and CEO Akbar Al Baker even suggested he’d prefer a mid-2020s debut. The only problem: the US planemaker hasn’t yet committed to build a cargo version of its upgraded wide-body passenger plane. The Persian Gulf carrier that’s operating one of the industry’s biggest freighter fleets ordered five current-generation 777Fs on Wednesday in a deal worth $1.75b at list prices. Al Baker used a signing ceremony at the Paris Air Show to advocate for a larger, fuel-efficient model to fit with a wider cargo-fleet overhaul that will start in 2025. Boeing plans to begin delivering a new 777X version of its popular passenger jet in 2020, although an engine glitch and regulatory review could delay its market entry. Executives have hinted that they’d roll out a cargo-hauling version later in the decade. Qatar Airways plans to introduce three new cargo routes next month as it grapples with a trade and transport embargo imposed by other Middle Eastern countries led by Saudi Arabia. The freighter fleet, which already includes 16 777Fs, provides a “vital link” during the blockade, Al Baker said earlier in the week.<br/>