China Southern Airlines has become the first Chinese customer for the Boeing 777-8F, a cargo derivative of the upcoming 777X series, after placing an order valued at $3.6 billion for seven widebody freighters from the US planemaker. This figure includes two units of the existing 777-200F, which China Southern Airlines already flies, and five examples of the upcoming 777-8F (plus three options).
If these options are taken up, bringing the total order size to ten aircraft, the deal would be valued at more than $5 billion in terms of the list prices of these aircraft. Of course, airlines rarely pay anything close to list prices, with bulk discounts and strong working relationships meaning that carriers can get as much as 50% off. Still, the deal represents an important step forward for Boeing in the Chinese market.
According to reporting on the matter by AeroTime, China Southern Airlines first highlighted its multi-billion-dollar deal with Boeing for seven firm freighter orders and three options on the Shanghai Stock Exchange at the end of last week. The news comes a month after China announced its plans to order at least 200 Boeing jets (and maybe up to 700), following a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
With Airbus also having secured a multi-billion-dollar order in China last week after China Eastern Airlines put its name down for 25 units from the A330neo series, this order has added significance for Boeing in the Chinese market. Indeed, as Aviation Week notes, China Southern Airlines has become the first Chinese carrier to order the 777-8F as a result of this deal. The carrier went on to explain that:
“The list price of the two B777F aircraft and five B777-8F aircraft is approximately US$3.618 billion. If the purchase of the other three B777-8F aircraft is confirmed, the total will be approximately US$5.24 billion.”
While China Southern Airlines is the first carrier from China to put pen to paper on a deal concerning the Boeing 777-8F, it is far from the first operator to do so worldwide. Indeed, data from ch-aviation shows that, elsewhere, Boeing has shaken hands on a further 76 firm orders for its new freighter. Of these, 13 (17%) are undisclosed, while the remaining 63 (83%) have had their customers specified already.
Qatar Airways is by far the largest customer of the type, having put its name down for a grand total of 34 examples of the Boeing 777-8F. Elsewhere, it has also seen a double-digit commitment from Cargolux, which currently has ten firm orders. Smaller orders have also been placed by the likes of China Airlines (eight), Lufthansa Cargo (seven), All Nippon Airways (two), and Silk Way West Airlines (also two).
The main rival of the 777-8F when it comes to large widebody twinjet freighters is the next-generation Airbus A350F. Sized between the passenger A350-900 and A350-1000 variants (but primarily based on the latter), this jet currently has 110 firm orders, according to ch-aviation. Of these, 13 are for undisclosed customers, while the largest named customer is Atlas Air, with a grand total of 20 firm orders.
Around a dozen airlines have placed orders for around 500 Boeing 777X, with the first set for delivery in 2026.
China Southern Airlines’ existing cargo fleet consists of 19 examples of the standard Boeing 777 Freighter. Current fleet data made available by ch-aviation shows that these aircraft, which are derived from the long-range passenger 777-200LR model, are split between China Southern Airlines itself and the dedicated China Southern Air Cargo Division, with eight registered to the former and 11 to the latter.
These sub-fleets are 11.1 years old and 10.3 years old respectively, putting them just above China Southern Airlines’ overall average fleet age of 8.1 years old. Historically speaking, China Southern Airlines also flew a pair of Boeing 747-400F cargo quadjets, with these planes joining the carrier back in 2002. They eventually left the Chinese airline after 18 and 20 years of service respectively, in 2020 and 2022.
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