Air France has signed a letter of intent with FedEx for the sale of two B777 freighters.
The new aircraft have never been in commercial service for the French carrier. An Air France Cargo spokesman said the sale reflected the downturn in the air cargo sector globally, which had created excess maindeck capacity.
This has seen the company trim its freighter fleet to its current level of five: three B747-400ERFs and two B777Fs.
Last year, after having been the aircraft’s launch customer, Air France said it was seeking to defer deliveries of more B777Fs. It had ordered five and had options on a further three.
“This is not the first time Air France has negotiated the sale of aircraft to FedEx,” said the spokesman. “Several years ago, FedEx took a number of Air France A310 aircraft, and converted them into freighters."
Looking ahead to the summer season, the spokesman said it was very likely that Air France Cargo would continue to operate a five-strong freighter fleet.