Citing high client demand and a delay in the next-generation plane’s certification, Boeing on Friday requested a waiver of airplane emissions regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration to sell an additional 35 Boeing 777F freighters.
The regulations go into force in 2028.
The next-generation 777-8 Freighter, which is anticipated to meet the restrictions, won’t be available until beyond that date, according to Boeing.
Prior to the 777-8F going into service, Boeing claimed that the waiver would enable it to satisfy expected customer demand for cargo aircraft.
Boeing stated that it was looking for certification by May 1.
According to the business, the first 777-8F will be delivered about two years after the first 777-9, which is currently scheduled for 2027.
In February 2024, the FAA released final regulations under then-President Joe Biden that adopted international standards to lower carbon emissions from the majority of large aircraft operating in U.S. airspace.
Aircraft operating before that date are exempt from the regulations.
Large widebody freighters are essential to the export of products, according to Boeing.
“Of the $600 billion in goods exported by air cargo in 2024, more than $260 billion were transported on large widebody freighters,” claimed Boeing.
More than $15 billion in U.S. export value could be lost in the absence of an exemption, according to the report, which also stated that each 777F aircraft exported to a foreign client adds $440 million at catalogue value to a positive trade balance.
According to Boeing, the 777F is the only large widebody freighter currently in production and the most fuel-efficient aircraft for the worldwide freight market.
Congress passed legislation last year that exempts Boeing from the FAA efficiency regulations that go into effect in 2028 and permits the company to continue producing its 767 freighter in the United States for an additional five years, till 2033.
The FAA said last year that civil aviation accounted for 2% of all carbon pollution in the United States and 9% of emissions from domestic transportation.
The United States released a climate action plan under Biden to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s aviation industry by 2050.
