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Boeing lands Korean Air order for 8 next-gen 777 freighters

Airline is a leading operator of all-cargo aircraft

Eric Kulisch
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Korean Air operates seven Boeing 747-8 freighters (pictured) and a dozen 777 legacy freighters. (Photo: Korean Air)
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Key Takeaways:

  • Korean Air ordered eight Boeing 777-8 freighter aircraft as part of a larger $50 billion deal.
  • This order brings Boeing closer to Airbus in the next-generation widebody freighter market.
  • The 777-8 freighter offers improved fuel efficiency and lower operating costs compared to the 747-400.
  • Deliveries of the 777-8 freighters are expected by 2030.
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Korean Airlines said Monday evening it has ordered eight all-new 777-8 freighter aircraft from Boeing to support long-term growth and fleet modernization.

With the deal, Boeing (NYSE: BA) closed the gap with Airbus in the market for the next-generation widebody freighter. 

The cargo aircraft are part of a $50 billion deal that includes 95 passenger jets, GE engines and maintenance service. Korean Air said the planes will be delivered by 2030. Korean Air and Boeing held a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., where South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met President Donald Trump to discuss trade and security issues. Trump said he would maintain the 15% tariffs imposed on Korea in July.

Korean Air is the sixth largest cargo airline in the world by traffic. It operates seven Boeing 747-8 and 12 777 freighters, plus four 747-400 freighters that joined the fleet with the acquisition in December of Asiana Airlines. The airline also manages cargo shipments carried by the passenger fleet.

Boeing has received 63 orders for the 777-8 freighter, including four from China Airlines in May. Qatar Airways is the launch customer for the new platform.

The 777-8 can carry nearly as much cargo as a 747-400 but has 30% improved fuel efficiency, 25% better operating costs per ton and up to a 60% smaller area for noise impact on the ground, according to Boeing. The company plans to deliver the first aircraft in 2028 after several years of development delays.

Airbus is challenging Boeing’s dominance in the freighter market with development of its own widebody freighter based on the A350 passenger jet. It has 66 reservations for production slots after Air Lease this summer pulled back an order for seven A350 freighters. 

Korean Air’s Aerospace Division produces parts for Boeing, including the 777 family of airplanes.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

China Airlines finalizes deal for 4 Boeing 777-8 cargo aircraft

Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com