Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) would be interested in adding freighters based on the B777X, Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar al Baker said during a press conference at the 2019 Paris Air Show.
"By 2025, our initial freighters will be getting about 10 years old, so we will need to replace them. Hopefully, Boeing will launch a 777X-based freighter," al Baker said.
The Qatari carrier would be interested in becoming the launch operator of the type.
Qatar Airways currently has sixty passenger versions of the B777X on firm order from Boeing, including ten B777-8s and fifty B777-9s. Al Baker recently said that the airline will be the type's maiden operator globally when it enters into service in 2020, although Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) also aspires to be the launch operator.
Boeing has yet to announce a B777X-based freighter. Cargolux (CV, Luxembourg) recently also expressed strong interest in this type.
Qatar Airways' cargo fleet currently includes sixteen B777-Fs, two B747-8(F)s, and five A330-200Fs. The carrier's full-freighters are 4.2 years old on average. The airline has a firm order for a further five B777-Fs and recently announced a commitment to add another five units of the type.
