Cargolux selects B777-8F

Cargolux has selected the B777-8F as the replacement for its ageing B747-400F fleet, a decision it had been considering for quite some time given that Boeing will cease to produce the B747-8F later this year.

At the currently being held Farnborough Air Show the carrier revealed that the recently-launched B777-8F would be its “preferred solution”.

At this stage, Cargolux has not confirmed how many of the aircraft it plans to order, nor when they will be expected.

The B777-8F has a range of 8,167 kilometres and a maximum payload of 118 metric tons, which Boeing said is in line with the B747-400F. However, it does not offer the nose-loading capability of the production B747F.

The Boeing 747 is very big freighter, whereas both the B777-8F and the A350F are smaller and are not nose-loading. The biggest advantage of the B747 is its nose -loading capability but also the weight of single pieces it can carry and the dimensions of cargo it can accommodate.

There are certain loads carried today on the B747 that neither of those replacement aircraft will be able to transport, hence Cargolux aims to retain several B747s in the fleet going past their exit-by dates and keeping them serviceable to provide customers with the kind of capacity they require.

Boeing launched the 777-8 freighter in January and has booked more than fifty orders for the model. Qatar Airways as the launch customer, ordered 34 of the aircraft with options for a further 16 in a deal that is valued at more than USD 20 billion.

Also, Ethiopian has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for five of the model, Lufthansa seven and ANA Cargo two.

Cargolux is the largest operator of Boeing widebody freighters in Europe with a total fleet of sixteen B747-400Fs and fourteen B747-8Fs.

Artist impression by Boeing