The first FedEx 777F (N850FD) lifts off from Everett on its delivery flight. (Photo courtesy of Boeing) CLICK PHOTO FOR 1200PX VERSION
Boeing handed FedEx the keys to a shiny new 777 Freighter today, the box hauler’s first of 15 on order. In 2006, FedEx placed what is still the largest 777F order to date, soon after canceling their A380F order due to the Airbus program’s chronic delays.
Following FedEx’s tradition of naming each of their planes after the child of a FedEx employee, the new 777, registered N850FD, has been dubbed “Saad.” Saad is the only son of Kashif Zia, an auditor at FedEx’s Newark hub.
According to Boeing, the new twin jets offer significant range and payload advantages over the MD-11s they will eventually supplant from the FedEx fleet:
In the FedEx Express operation, the 777 Freighter can fly 5,800 nautical miles (6,675 statute miles, 10,740 km), an increase of 2,100 nautical miles (2,410 statute miles, 3,890 km) versus the airline’s MD-11 Freighter fleet. The FedEx 777 Freighter has a revenue payload capacity of 215,000 pounds (97.5 metric tons), a 37,000-pound (16.7-metric-ton) increase over the MD-11 Freighter.
Unfortunately for New York spotters, the new Boeings will be reserved for long-haul flights linking key Asian manufacturing centers to FedEx’s Memphis hub. And Anchorage is out of luck, too: Unlike the MD-11s, the 777F’s increased range means no Alaskan fuel stops before and after their long hops across the Pacific.
