Boeing to Unveil Air Freighter, Setting Up a Rumble With Airbus
- U.S. jetmaker to launch version of 777X at air show next month
- Both rivals court Qatar Airways in aviation’s rare bright spot
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Boeing Co. is poised to introduce an air-freight version of its 777X jetliner within the next few weeks and is in advanced talks with Qatar Airways and other potential buyers, people briefed on the matter said.
The unveiling of Boeing’s first new jet in four years will intensify a fight with Airbus SE for supremacy in an aviation segment that’s flourishing as sales of passenger jets limp through the Covid-19 pandemic. The European planemaker is marketing a freighter based on its A350-1000 jet, attempting to break Boeing’s decades of dominance in a lucrative business.