Russian firm may save Boeing's iconic Jumbo Jet
US plane maker Boeing is currently negotiating with Russia’s largest air-freight company about a $4 billion deal to buy at least 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters, an unnamed source close to the matter told Bloomberg.
The contract with AirBridgeCargo Airlines and its Moscow-based parent company, Volga-Dnepr Group, could help continue the production of the Boeing-747, known popularly as the Jumbo Jet. Demand for the four-engine iconic aircraft has significantly declined in recent years.
Boeing, Boeing, gone: Plane manufacturer put ‘undue pressure’ on US regulatorshttps://t.co/WjKqnYEYi8pic.twitter.com/DerHvdzFl3
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The agreement could be announced next month at the Farnborough Air Show in England. According to Bloomberg, a list price for Boeing’s second-most expensive commercial jet is $379.1 million, with buyers usually negotiating discounts.
#OTD 100 years ago Bill Boeing piloted the 1st #Boeing plane – and a century of innovation took flight. #avgeekpic.twitter.com/rZU5niAsgI
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Converting commitments to firm orders enables aircraft makers to plan production capacity.
Both companies declined to comment, however Volga-Dnepr confirmed its previous plans to buy 20 Jumbo Jets.
#Boeing to miss deadline on KC-46 tanker, no delivery till 2018 https://t.co/XajrC9ue3zpic.twitter.com/hVfbfrJEnx
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Sales of Boeing’s 747 have waned after carriers shifted to the plane maker's more-efficient twin-engine models such as the 777.
In January, the US aerospace giant halved its yearly production of the 747 to just six aircraft.
