HankHill

FedEx and Boeing are in active talks regarding a passenger-to-freighter 777 conversion, according to financial filings.

FedEx's 10-Q quarterly report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on the 20th of March disclose active communications between FedEx and Boeing regarding the development of the 777 Boeing Converted Freighter, which would be built on the 777-200 and -200ER passenger aircraft.

Correspondence dated December 2, 2008 with the subject "Notification for a Boeing 777 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) Proposal" was exchanged between Richard Ochs Boeing Regional Director of Aircraft Contracts and Kevin Burkhart, Managing Director of Aircraft Acquisitions & Sales for FedEx.

The filing redacted the contents of the correspondence, providing no additional details beyond the reference in the letter's subject line, though refers to a "Letter Agreement" on the 777 Boeing Converted Freighter.

A FedEx spokesperson declined to elaborate on the reference to the aircraft in the company's financial filing but added that there are no plans to purchase a converted 777 freighter, and reaffirmed the company's intention to purchase 30 original-build 777 freighters.

993pilot

I've heard that the company is looking into 767 passenger-to-freighter conversions. This would be an MD10 replacement, I guess, and would allow a common type for the 757/767. We'll see.

I also heard that someone spotted Elvis in the hub last week.

Nitefrater

Every time you hear that the company is "looking into" something regarding aircraft acquisitions, you can absolutely, positively, believe it. The company CONSTANTLY looks at various options, some of them quite creative.

However, very few of the options that the company "looks into" wind up on the ramp painted purple.

MEMA300

MD10 replacement, geesh why didn't we just do that a few years ago instead of spending all that money on md10s? Plus we already have a bunch of airplanes that carry a similar payload to the 767, they are A300F.

AerisArmis

What the company would like to do is to have a mix of 777F and 777-200BCF in the future. As with the MD-11/MD-10, the same pilot list would fly both. It's been stated before that the long range plan is to have just the 757 and 777 in the fleet by 2025. From the Boeing Web Site, the 777-200 was launched in 1990 and is available in 3 optional MTOGW's, 506K, 515K, and 535K. For anybody wondering why the company is digging in their heels over the 777 pay rates this is it. The 777F MTOGW is significantly more than the MD-11 (630.5K) but the 777-200BCF is way less. If they pay a higher pay scale for the 777, they will eventually have a guy flying MEM-XYZ in a 777-200BCF making more than the guy flying the MD-11 MEM-XYZ in a jet with MTOGW of, up to, 125K higher. Hence, they want to pay them all the same and put any extra $$$ into ultra long range pay. That plus Int'l override pay will ensure that the most senior dudes are flying the 777F. Before the usual suspects start frothing at the mouth and go into attack mode, I ain't saying it's right, I'm just saying that's the logic. Phasers on stun.

DiamondZ

AA,

I think you are spot on.

Just wish we had union members looking/planning long term.

Paddles

Here is a link to the comparison charts on the Boeing web site.

777f payload


I agree with AA as well, makes sense (cents) from the companies perspective.

AerisArmis

I omitted data for the 777-200ER. The MTOGW for the ER version is 580K-631K so it gets close to and can match the MD-11 (as regards to MTOGW). I wonder if they'll call it the 777-200ERBCF? Which, naturally, would stand for, Extra Roomy Big Cargo *******er? Or, Extra Range Boring Cruise Fatiguer?

Boeing 777 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MD11Fr8Dog

Yea, like those KC-10s for refueling over NOPAC!

R1200RT

The P to F converted planes will not carry as much as they did in the passenger configuration due to the floor loading.