I dismissed this rumor initially, but now wonder.....

Problem: the MoM/797 is still not a sure thing. Boeing is waffling on a production decision due to development cost, market definition of what they want in a new MoM, and according to some trade journals, a fear that the A-321NEO/ER has already taken a significant portion of that market.

And...if Boeing decided today to build it, the first jets would have not have passengers for nine years. Given the slips in the 787, there may be industry doubt about Boeing's proposed timeline. Twelve years for a new jet?

I could see this as a short-term fix to the MoM. While a 767 is not as efficient as the 787 or even a NEO-Bus, it has some financial advantages:

1. One less airplane in the logistics pipeline for spares. That is significant.

2. One less training pipeline, including cascading backfills when there are vacancies. Also significant.

3. Available delivery dates? And possibly much cheaper purchase price?

4. As someone else noted, used 767s would probably be an easy sell to freight carriers 10 years down the road.

5. Known commodity. No surprises like the battery fires in Sparky. Goes a long way, can carry a Lamborgini or Ferrari from Europe (have heard anecdotal stories of both as palletized freight from Munich), and is rarely limited by load, fuel, or other considerations.

6. Mechs already familiar, so no learning curve to keep dispatch rates high (excepting new glass, or possible engine swap to CF6).

If rumors of getting used 767s/757s fall through....I would not be surprised to see this happen.