Air France has taken delivery of the first Boeing 777 Freighter to go into service. The new B-777F, which is based on the 777-200LR Worldliner (Longer Range) passenger airplane, just received type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) earlier this month. The delivery ceremony took place yesterday near Paine Field (see photo).According to Boeing, the 777F is the world's longest-range freighter and features the lowest trip cost of any large freighter, with high cargo density and 10-foot (3.1-meter) interior height capability that complement the popular 747 Freighter family. The aircraft is powered by General Electric's GE90-110B1L and meets QC2 noise standards.
Providing cargo capacity normally associated with larger airplanes, the 777 Freighter can fly 4,880 nautical miles (9,038 kilometers) with a full payload of 226,700 pounds (103 metric tons), says Boeing. The new airplane is expected to progressively replace the 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) in the Air France Cargo fleet. Air France currently operates five 747-400ER Freighters and four 747-400BCFs.
While Air France Cargo is the launch customer for the 777F, Boeing reports that twelve customers have ordered a total of 73 of the new 777 Freighters.
[Photo Source]
