SINGAPORE,
Feb. 21, 2008 -- As Boeing [NYSE: BA] looks forward in the freighter
business, the company doesn't have to look very far to see that
"The Future of Freighters Is Now."
"We've been on a great run with three consecutive years of record
freighter orders," said Jim Edgar, regional director, Cargo
Marketing - Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "But that's just the
beginning - this year we're anticipating a series of milestones
that bring about major improvements in fuel efficiency, environmental
responsibility and operational flexibility. Our two new large
freighters will provide a 16 to 34 percent improvement in CO2
and fuel efficiency relative to today's large freighters, and
will be significantly quieter than Stage 4 community noise requirements.
"We've been laying the groundwork for a transformation that
really takes off in 2008. We began major assembly of the 777
Freighter in January and will move forward with the completion
of assembly, flight test, certification and a fourth-quarter
delivery of the first 777 Freighter to Air France, and we'll
achieve critical design milestones for the 747-8 Freighter and
the start of 747-8F production. These airplanes will be the
key revenue generators for the air cargo industry for years
to come," Edgar added.
Orders
for new Boeing production freighters have numbered 74, 81 and
83 for 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively, for an unprecedented
total of 258 airplanes, accounting for about 14 percent of total
Boeing commercial airplane order value during that time.
Development of the 747-8F will proceed apace as General Electric
conducts testing on its GEnx and Boeing reaches 50 percent design
release during the early part of the year. Flying test-bed runs
and 90 percent design release will be accomplished midyear and
production on the 747-8F will start in late 2008, leading to
a busy 2009 that features the airplane's rollout, first flight,
certification and first delivery to Cargolux of Luxembourg.
Along with the 777 and 747-8 activities, Boeing freighter plans
for 2008 include the first delivery of the company's 767-300
Boeing Converted Freighter to ANA and the release of Boeing's
biennial World Air Cargo Forecast 2008/2009 at The International
Air Cargo Forum & Exposition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November.
These new products, in addition to the existing 767-300 production
freighter and the current 747 Freighter fleet of more than 300
airplanes, coupled with the successful 747-400 Boeing Converted
Freighter program, position Boeing for continued success in
the air cargo marketplace.
Boeing freighters currently account for more than 90 percent
of the world's dedicated freighter capacity, with the 747 Freighter
Family alone accounting for more than half of that capacity.
The series of freighter milestones in 2008 and continuing into
2009 is proof that "the future of freighters is now" at Boeing.
.