Some contributors are thinking very well indeed in this thread. Extraordinarily well.

I wonder how many are line pilots?

Keep it up, whoever you may be. Therein lies the future profitability, the secure retirement, the future growth and the remarkable seat progression.

If only I were younger....

Utterly gobsmacked.

 

what’s wrong with speculating?

 

Is it not obvious with todays 767 announcement that this airbust rumor is just that. A BUST

 

I disagree. We still have the aging MD’s that will be replaced in the not too distant future. The exercised 767 options appears to be growth and not a fleet replacement plan.

 

How about the 50 options….. Then the next order of 20 announced in 2 years and another amended agreement for another 50 options. These airplanes over the last 5 years are all just amendments to the original agreement in 2011.

 

Bloomberg article says A350 announcement in early July and states that Airbus chief has pitched the plane to Fred Smith

Business

Airbus Set to Move Ahead With A350 Freighter Within Weeks

 

It has been pitched to every cargo airline out there so we shall see…

 

One 767 does not replace an MD-11.

Almost 60 MD-11s need to be replaced at some point and using two 767s to replace one MD-11 would consume even more gate space than a 777XF. The gate space issue will need to be solved by changing the whole operation somehow, some way.

 

This is exactly the issue. Spot on. Same for Brown. The MD is a major problem for both, meaning not an easily replaceable type due to it’s physical dimensions and it’s robust payload.

 

The 767 is the only medium widebody available that “works” for express integrators.

Anything larger creates issues with existing parking….not insurmountable, but an issue nonetheless.

FDX is seemingly all in on the 777, UPS on the 747 for large freighters. The A350-900 is pretty close to a 772 in terms of cabin volume, and the speculated freighter is speculated to be a -950 to likely squeeze an extra row of ULDs in. How it would compare relative to Bigfoot, nobody knows.

The A333P2F is the closest thing available in containerized cube to a MD11 short of a 777F, but still has wingspan issues compared to a MD - albeit less than a 777F or 744.

A 767-400 based freighter would fit the bill as a MD replacement but is currently unannounced vaporware; a 777 conversion for ample passenger -200 feedstock would likely change the game but it seems right now the -300 Big Twin the only thing in the offing.

All widebodies pay the same, right?