More freighter orders for Boeing

January was kind to Boeing in terms of freighter aircraft orders – especially if you consider the 767-200C a freighter.

To start, Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines converted two 777 passenger aircraft orders to freighters, and an unidentified customer ordered one 777F. As shown in the chart, this brings Boeing’s total orders for the type to 168 (including seven commitments from FedEx not shown on Beoing’s order-and-delivery website). Of these, 128 have been delivered, leaving the manufacturer with a healthy backlog of forty 777Fs.

Regarding the unidentified customer, we note that FedEx has, in the past, appeared as “Unidentified Customer” when firming commitments. If that is the case here, then the total orders would be 167 and the backlog would be 39.

The other order news concerns the 767-200C, the airframe on which Boeing bases its KC-46A tanker. While the US Air Force will eventually need 179 KC-46A tankers, the initial order, placed in 2011, was for just four test aircraft. This was followed in August last year by an order for nineteen tankers, and in late January this year, an order for fifteen more. While the KC-46A’s prime mission is aerial refueling, it has a cargo payload of 29 tonnes – nowhere near the 57.6-tonne payload of a 767-300F, but significant nonetheless.

We invite those interested in learning more about Boeing freighters – both new-build, and P2F conversions, to join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April where Boeing’s VP Conversions & Modifications, Kurt Kraft will speak on a panel dedicated to freighter conversions. For more information, or to register, go to CargoFactsAsia.com.