777-8F & A350 Facing Fresh Delays?

Boeing and Airbus’ next-generation freighters, the 777-8F and A350F, are facing turbulence as progress is made on their launch.

As supply chain niggles, certification looms, and systems right across the industry become even further stretched, there’s a consensus that the breaking point is soon to be reached.

With that in mind, and the expected delivery of these new freighters looming, all the while still being up in the air, cargo operators that have bought these planes already are now being forced to rethink their short to medium-term approach.

A Boeing 777-8F Delay For Customers?

Boeing’s 777-8F was initially pitched to launch as soon as next year; however, its launch has and will always be directly tied to the release of the 777-9, the first iteration in the broader 777X program and a passenger jet.

Unfortunately, the 777-9 now stands six years behind the initially promised EIS date, and Boeing doesn’t expect to see first deliveries of the aircraft until 2027, with certification expected within the next 12 months. What happens with this aircraft directly impacts the freight model, and even the smaller passenger 777-8.

As quality issues, certification huddles, and further labour disputes have only mounted in recent years, timelines have slipped, and what turns into a 6-month delay can balloon very easily into six years in no time at all, not without airlines and cargo operators feeling the pinch.

FreightWaves has already reported that Boeing doesn’t expect to meet the 2027 deadline, which is understandable if the 777-9 were only coming out this year. However, a 2028 debut has been penciled in for the moment, though inklings of other customers preparing for delays have now arisen.

Reported by TheLoadStar, Cargolux, a key customer of the 777-8F, betting big on this jet in order to revamp its freight fleet, is expected to take on a further delay for this aircraft from when it first purchased the jet, expecting a 2027 delivery as well, but now it sees a 2029 debut per Richard Forson, the Chief Executive.

What’s Happening With The Airbus A350F?

Airbus’ counter to the Boeing 777-8F is its own dedicated freighter, the A350F, an offshoot of the A350 family. This model has been launched to compete with Boeing and disrupt a sector where the American planemaker has long enjoyed success and largely gone uncontested.

As jets like the 747F, the 777F and other larger freighters are in need of replacing to meet efficiency targets, but naturally come to the end of their life, Airbus is hoping to pitch the A350F to these customers in order to offer an attractive alternative to Boeing that’s on a proven and certified base.

Customers such as Atlas Air and Qatar Airways, among others, have all already committed to the jet without it having operated a first flight. However, despite progress in production and testing to get the jet airborne by the end of 2026 for its first test flight, concerns remain.

Airbus reportedly spoke with airlines this week and informed them to expect further delays to their A350 deliveries through the end of the decade. These delays are another blow after years of already existing supply chain comfort and a backlog that balloons out as the planemaker cannot increase production at the desired rate to meet the growing order tally.

While much of the focus was on airline operators expecting their A350 family jets, the freighter programme also saw an update, with fresh supply chain concerns emerging from Spain centred on cargo door manufacturing, a critical element of the new plane.

For the moment, no delay to the launch timeframe, which is hopeful to see the first delivery for 2027, the first flight by the end of this year, and thus getting to market, even with a minor delay previously announced before its competitor on a platform that has also already been certified for passenger use.