Boeing’s 777F exemption request filed in favorable political environment

Boeing, citing delays to the 777-8F, anticipated customer demand, and potential Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) capacity losses, has requested the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to exempt a specific number of 777Fs from fuel efficiency requirements, which are going to come online from January 1, 2028.

The petition filing came at a time when the United States administration has held a negative view of anything related to climate change and/or emissions.

On December 19, 2025, Boeing filed an exemption request with the FAA, asking the regulator to continue issuing airworthiness certificates to 35 777Fs, which would presumably be built after January 1, 2028, when the new fuel efficiency limits, outlined in the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), kick in.

The manufacturer pointed out that while it is developing a more fuel-efficient successor, the 777-8F, the next-generation freighter will not be available until after January 1, 2028.

“The requested relief will allow Boeing to meet anticipated customer demand and support the substantial public interest in the sustained transportation of air cargo prior to the 777-8F entering service.”

As such, Boeing requested the FAA to exempt 35 777Fs until the 777-8F achieves its type rating and is delivered to an airline customer, the filing read.

“The global air freight market relies on the 777F,” the planemaker said, adding that with the growth of e-commerce and challenges in maritime shipping, the air cargo industry has experienced “a capacity shortage in large widebody freighters, raising direct and indirect costs to consumers.”

The 35 777Fs would bridge the gap until the 777-8F is certified, maintaining “an uninterrupted supply of large freighters to the market prior to the introduction of the 777-8F.”

Boeing estimated that each 777F that is exported to a foreign customer contributed $440 million, at catalogue value, to the US’ trade balance, with the exemption request potentially resulting in more than $15 billion of added export value. Furthermore, with the 777 program, which includes all models of the type, supporting over 100,000 jobs across the US, production continuity of the 777F was “critical to the stability of this economic activity in local communities around the US.”

Another argument that the manufacturer laid out was that such aircraft as the 747-400F are now aging, and with the type being the backbone of the CRAF, the fleet’s capabilities could be reduced since “these older aircraft types become economically unfeasible to continue operating.” If the 777F is not available to replace older freighters in the CRAF, the US is “risking preparedness in a national emergency.”

“If granted, this exemption will have no impact on the safety of the 777F.”

The exemption request has the essential keywords to potentially trigger a response from the administration of Donald Trump, the President of the US. First, the rule was finalized during the Biden administration in February 2024, and according to Mike Whitaker, the ex-Administrator of the FAA, it was designed to “ensure the manufacture of more fuel-efficient airplanes, reduce carbon pollution, and reach our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Over the past months – and it has not even been a year since Trump began his second term – the Trump administration, including the Department of Transportation (DOT), has rolled back rules finalized or proposed during the administration of Joe Biden, the former President of the US, which includes regulations related to the environment.

A day after Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, was sworn in, he “authorized a series of actions advancing” Trump’s agenda. This includes the mandate for the DOT to identify and eliminate any “woke” policies related to, among other things, the promotion of “climate change activism” and “environmental justice.”

Duffy, much like the rest of the Trump administration, has not stopped pushing back against anything related to climate change. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on December 18, Duffy praised Trump for taking “away the pain at the pump and [ending] the illegal EV mandate,” claiming, without proof, that US citizens will have “more cash in their pockets.”

The Secretary of Transportation quoted a post from the Trump administration, which also claimed without proof that “Radical Left Democrats exploited the Green Energy SCAM as an excuse to funnel billions into their own massive slush funds as their restrictions drastically drove up prices.”

In early December, the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed to recalibrate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, which would “reduce manufacturer incentives to design vehicles and add features that are not desired by American consumers and that have questionable real-world fuel economy benefits.”

Duffy said about the proposed rule that the DOT’s “new mileage standards expose the truth: Buttigieg and Biden broke the law and forced auto manufacturers to build EVs – jacking up car prices for families.”

At the same time, the Biden administration has also carved out environmental exceptions for Boeing. As part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, section 1105 prohibited “the enforcement of certain standards for any covered cargo airplane until after January 1, 2033,” specifically for purpose-built freighters that have a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of between 180,000 kilograms (396,832) and 240,000 kg (529,109 lbs).

The 767F’s MTOW ranges from 185,066 kg (408,000 lbs) to 186,880 kg (412,000 lbs), while the 777F’s is 347,814 kg (766,800 lbs).

However, Congress mandated the FAA to limit the use of exempt freighters to “domestic use or international operations, consistent with relevant international agreements and standards, the operation of any covered cargo airplane that does not meet these standards and requirements, and received an original FAA certificate of airworthiness on or after January 1, 2028.”

The fuel efficiency rules were first adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) during its 40th session in 2019. The US is still part of ICAO and is a Council Member state.

According to Boeing’s latest orders and deliveries filing, the planemaker has unfilled orders for 54 777Fs and 21 767Fs. On October 11, 2024, the planemaker informed stakeholders that it is planning to “conclude production of the 767 freighter and recognize” a $400 million pre-tax charge on the program, which also reflected the machinists' strike that eventually ended in November 2024.

Together with the decision to end 767F production, Boeing pushed back the 777-8F’s entry-into-service (EIS) date to 2028. However, together with its Q3 results, the aircraft manufacturer announced that the 777-9’s EIS would slip to 2027.

The company’s executives did not specifically detail whether this would affect the 777-8F’s first delivery date. Boeing has 63 unfilled orders for the 777-8F, while its main rival, the A350F, had 82 orders as of November 30.