Boeing Begins Work on World’s Largest Twin-Engine Freighter

On Monday, about 100 teammates at the Boeing 777X Composite Spar Shop in Everett, Washington cheered as Casey McDowell operated the controls to drill the first hole into a wing spar for the 777-8 Freighter.

With this step, the 777/777X team has started production on the 777-8 Freighter. The airplane is designed to be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine freighter.

Catch up quick

Teams at the nearby Composite Wing Center fabricated the spars, along with skin panels and stringers.

• Each wing has two spars – front and rear – that measure 108 feet (33 meters) long. 

• Fabricating a pair of spars for each wing requires 392 miles of carbon fiber tape – the length of the drive from Everett to the state of Montana.

• The combined weight of a pair of spars is 2,500 pounds. 

  
  

Teammates in the Composite Spar Shop celebrate the start of 777-8 Freighter production.

What’s Next

Teams will move the finished spars to the main factory, where they’ll be assembled into the first 777-8 Freighter wings with the CWC parts and other components. 

About the family

The Boeing 777-8 Freighter is one of three members of the 777X family, which also includes the 777-9 and 777-8 passenger airplanes. The three are the newest members of Boeing’s market-leading widebody family. 

Airlines and cargo operators have ordered 59 777-8 Freighters since Boeing launched the program in 2022. Boeing has said it is working to deliver the first 777-8 Freighter in 2028. 

Go deeper

Learn more about the Boeing 777-8 Freighter here.