Boeing to unveil air freighter, setting up a rumble with Airbus

Boeing is poised to introduce an air-freight version of its 777X jetliner within the next few weeks and is in advanced talks with Qatar Airways and other potential buyers, people briefed on the matter said. The unveiling of Boeing’s first new jet in four years will intensify a fight with Airbus SE for supremacy in an aviation segment that’s flourishing as sales of passenger jets limp through the Covid-19 pandemic. The European planemaker is marketing a freighter based on its A350-1000 jet, attempting to break Boeing’s decades of dominance in a lucrative business. In addition to Qatar, Boeing is also courting FedEx, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Deutsche Post AG’s DHL unit, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks are confidential. While Boeing’s discussions over the new freighter have been known, the details of the official launch, likely at the Dubai Airshow next month, haven’t been reported before. For Boeing, introducing the 777X freighter will provide a chance to take the offensive after spending the better part of the past three years focusing on quality lapses, management failures and financial strains brought on by two fatal crashes of the 737 Max jetliner. Wrangling with regulators meanwhile has delayed the commercial debut of the first passenger 777X by at least three years to late 2023. It’s unusual for a planemaker to sell a freighter variant of a jet before the passenger version has hit the market. <br/>