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Taken from Flight International April 22-28, 2003
JUSTIN WASTNAGE / FRANKFURT & PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
Manufacturer presents derivative to airlines but is yet to firmly commit
to project
Boeing is again making presentations to airlines about a possible freighter
development of the 777 twinjet, with Lufthansa Cargo (LCAG) acknowledging
interest. EVA Airways of Taiwan is believed to be eyeing a freighter,
but its focus is on the yet-to-fly ultra- long-haul 777-200LR variant.
The US manufacturer has looked several times since the aircraft's entry
into service in 1995 at producing pure cargo as well as "Combi" versions
of the 777, but has held back, saying it would wait until the passenger
aircraft had achieved 15 years of service. There has been a reluctance
to commit to a freighter while sales of the passenger aircraft remain
strong, and because of concern over any knock-on impact on the 747-400
line, which today is largely sustained by freighter sales.
EVA confirms it attended a recent Boeing seminar at which a 777F presentation
was made, but says it is "a brand new idea and it's only being studied
at the moment. We're not making any commitments." Industry sources say
EVA is "enthusiastic" about a freighter version of the 777-200LR. It
already has three passenger versions on order.
LCAG has called on Boeing to market a new-build freighter variant of
the 777 by 2008 to provide an alternative to the proposed Airbus A380F.
The German carrier says a 777 would be a preferred option to replace
its fleet of Boeing MD-11 Freighters and it would like the 777 widebody
to be a contender when it issues its requirements in around 2008.
Airbus has offered LCAG the freighter version of its A380, but the carrier
has few routes that justify the aircraft's 150t load capacity. Jean-Peter
Jansen, LCAG chairman, says the carrier would prefer to have the option
of a 105t-class freighter to replace the MD-11.
"Boeing needs to do something to rival the A380. This is either a stretch
version of the 747-400F or a 777F," he adds.
"The 777F has raised a lot of interest in the industry, mainly because
of its excellent performance data," says Jansen.
Boeing says: "We are doing some customer exploration on this, but we
still do not have a definitive timescale on this study. The recognition
of the popularity of the MD-11 as a freighter gives us a reason to keep
looking at this."
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NICHOLAS IONIDES AND GUY NORRIS