Common Wide-Body Freighter Aircraft Types

1. Boeing 777-200F

The B777-200F freighter has a fuselage length of 62.94 m, a wingspan of 64.80 m, a height of 18.76 m, a main deck floor height of 5.09 m and a lower cargo deck floor height of 3.11 m. It has a maximum payload of 105.9 tonnes, a maximum cargo volume of 650 m³, and a maximum range of approximately 9,630 km at full payload.

In 2005, Boeing developed the B777-200F freighter, based on the longer-range B777-200LR, to replace the aging B747-400F and the discontinued MD-11F. As the twin-engine freighter with the longest flight range, the largest payload and the lowest range cost, the B777-200F has a significant advantage in long-haul operations. In 2008, the first B777-200F was delivered to Air France-KLM. On December 3, 2009, China Southern Airlines took delivery of its two ordered B777-200F freighters, introducing this freighter to China ahead of others.

2. Boeing 747-400F

The B747-400F freighter has a fuselage length of 70.66 m, a wingspan of 64.44 m, a height of 19.41 m, a main deck floor height of 5.1 m and a lower cargo deck floor height of 3 m. It has a maximum payload (theoretical structural) of 117.69 tonnes, a maximum cargo volume of 725 m³, and a maximum range of approximately 7,223 km at full payload.

The B747-400F is a four-engine long-range wide-body transport produced by Boeing. Its most distinctive feature is the nose door and large side cargo doors, which ensure that both regular cargo and oversized/overweight cargo can be loaded and unloaded quickly. Compared with twin-engine freighters, it offers a larger payload and lower tonne-kilometer operating costs. The B747-400F was first introduced and operated by Cargolux in November 1993. In 2002, China Southern Airlines introduced two units of this model, beginning its own freighter operations.

3. Boeing 747-8F

The Boeing 747-8 freighter model, the 747-8F, is a derivative of the 747-400ERF, with a total payload capacity of up to 140 metric tonnes (154 tons). The 747-8F carries 16% more payload than the 747-400F.

Compared with the 747-400 freighter, its revenue cargo space is increased by 16% and its range is longer. With the same nose-door loading capability, accommodating the industry-standard 3 m (10 ft) high pallets, the additional 117 m³ of space allows 4 more main deck pallets and 3 more lower deck pallets to be loaded—7 more pallets in total—as well as 7 more standard containers. Moreover, its actual in-service payload density capability reaches 157 kg/m³. The 747-8F has a range of up to 8,275 km (4,475 nautical miles).

The 747-8 freighter can choose to carry more payload—an additional 20 metric tonnes (23 tons)—or, when flying routes with lower cargo density requirements, extend its range by 1,400 nautical miles. In fact, the 747-8 freighter will achieve the lowest ton-mile cost of any freighter. The 747-8F also has an empty weight 86 metric tonnes (95 tons) lighter than the A380 freighter. The first 747-8 freighter entered service in 2009.

4. Airbus A330-200F

The A330-200F is the shorter-fuselage model in Airbus's A330 twin-engine wide-body family. It can operate routes ranging from short-haul to long-haul, and is also suitable for point-to-point operations. It is currently the only newly launched medium-size freighter, capable of carrying up to 64 tonnes of cargo with a maximum range of 7,400 km.

The first A330-200F was delivered to its launch customer, Etihad Crystal Cargo of the UAE, in 2010.

5. Antonov An-225

The An-225 is an ultra-large civil freighter with a takeoff weight exceeding 600 tonnes. It is the largest transport aircraft ever built in the world in terms of carrying capacity, owned and commercially operated by Antonov Airlines of Ukraine. Developed by the former Soviet Union between 1984 and 1988, it is the world's largest six-engine turbofan heavy transport aircraft, capable of carrying more than 250 tonnes of cargo.

• Design purpose: developed to transport equipment for the Soviet space program, such as the "Buran" space shuttle.

• Cold War legacy: 10 aircraft were originally planned, but only 1 was completed due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

• Recent developments: it was destroyed during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022; in 2023, Ukraine announced a restoration plan. China once attempted to introduce the aircraft, but the effort did not materialize due to international political reasons.

6. McDonnell Douglas MD-11

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a three-engine wide-body airliner produced by McDonnell Douglas, derived from the DC-10 design, with a distinctive engine mounted on the tail. Compared with the DC-10, its fuselage and wingspan are longer, winglets are fitted at the wingtips, and the wing section design was improved. The MD-11 offered new engines for buyers to choose from, used more composite materials, and its cockpit equipment was fully digitalized. After production ended in 2001, many MD-11s continued to be used for cargo services, and retired MD-11 passenger aircraft were converted into freighters. Lufthansa (LH) currently operates this aircraft type on its route from Guangzhou to Frankfurt (FRA).

Relative to wide-body models, aircraft such as the Boeing 767, 757 and 737 all-freighter series, the Airbus A300, the Ilyushin Il-76 and the Antonov An-21 are more suited to medium- and short-haul flights, with payloads ranging from 15 to 50 tonnes. During the pandemic, a large number of passenger-to-freighter (P2F) converted wide-body aircraft were put into service, with ranges above 5,000 km and payloads of 30–60 tonnes.