According to The National, Nadeem Sultan, the Senior Vice President of Freighters and Cargo Planning, revealed an upcoming decision about its newest cargo variants at Aviation Future Week. This decision is expected to be made in the next couple of weeks. However, Emirates SkyCargo has yet to reach a decision between the Boeing 777X or the Airbus A350, and the exact number of aircraft has yet to be determined.
Upcoming freighter aircraft order
On Wednesday, October 16th, Sultan told The National,
“A further announcement in terms of investments in the freighters [will be made in] the next couple of weeks.”
The company is in talks with both Boeing and Airbus on its upcoming decision. The two aircraft Emirates is debating are either the Airbus A350 freighter variant or the Boeing 777X freighter variant. However, both of these aircraft have dealt with recent issues.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
Late last week, Boeing announced that due to its current status, the Boeing 777X program will be delayed. Boeing expects that the first delivery of the 777X will now be pushed into 2026. This is mostly due to developmental changes, pauses in the test program, and ongoing work stoppages. Some of the delays were caused by engine durability issues discovered in 2019, certification issues caused by a door blowing off, and the discovery of cracked components in the pylon structure.
The Airbus A350 has had its fair share of recent issues as well. Recently, Airbus has been dealing with durability issues with the aircraft’s engines, which are manufactured by Rolls-Royce. In September, an in-flight fire occurred on a Cathay Pacific A350. The result of this fire was due to faulty engine components, including a damaged fuel hose. Cathay Pacific grounded its fleet of Airbus A350s after the incident occurred.
About Emirates SkyCargo
By 2030, Emirates is expecting to nearly triple its fleet of cargo freighter aircraft. Currently, its cargo-focused business segment, Emirates SkyCargo, operates a fleet of eleven Boeing 777 freighter variants and three Boeing 747 freighter variants that are wet-leased from Aerotranscargo. Additionally, several of the Boeing 777s are leased, and some have leases expiring soon.
Photo: Soos Jozsef | Shutterstock
Because of this, in July, at the Farnborough Airshow, Emirates SkyCargo announced an order for five brand-new Boeing 777 freighter variants. This billion dollar order is set to replace several aircraft in its existing fleet, as Emirates will retire several Boeing 777s. These aircraft were originally meant to be delivered between 2025 and 2026.
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Emirates Orders 5 Boeing 777Fs For SkyCargo Ahead Of Farnborough Airshow
Emirates and Boeing have announced an order for five 777Fs worth $1 billion.
Additionally, Emirates already had an order for five Boeing 777Fs prior to this, which brings the total backlog to 10 Boeing 777Fs for its cargo operations. Emirates also plans to convert ten Boeing 777-300ERs to freighter variants. These conversions are scheduled to be completed by 2025 and will continue to grow the Emirates SkyCargo fleet.
Prior to Emirates’ recent turn to utilizing Boeing 777Fs, the company used several other aircraft for its cargo operations. Emirates SkyCargo flew the following aircraft:
- Four Airbus A310-300Fs
- Two Boeing 747-400ERFs
- Four Boeing 747-400Fs