Key facts
- The FAA approved a waiver for Boeing to sell 35 additional 777F freighters after 2028.
- New emissions rules take effect January 1, 2028, which would have barred 777F sales.
- The waiver allows Boeing to sell the planes for three years after the new rules take effect.
- Boeing cited strong customer demand and a delay in the next-generation 777-8F's certification for its request.
- The 777F is the only large widebody freighter currently in production.
- Boeing estimated that over $15 billion in U.S. exports could be lost without the exemption.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Boeing a waiver to continue selling its 777F freighters beyond 2028, circumventing new international emissions standards. The waiver, approved on Thursday, allows Boeing to sell an additional 35 of the widebody freighters for three years after the new rules take effect on January 1, 2028.
Boeing had requested the waiver in December 2025, citing strong customer demand and delays in the certification of its next-generation replacement, the 777-8F, which is not expected to enter service until approximately 2029. Without the exemption, Boeing warned it could face a production gap costing over $15 billion in U.S. exports.
The FAA stated the waiver provides Boeing with "flexibility and accommodating uncertainty in the certification timeline of the replacement dedicated freighter airplane, the 777-8F." The new rules, issued in February 2024 under the Biden administration, adopt international standards to reduce carbon pollution from most large airplanes flying in U.S. airspace.
Boeing highlighted that the 777F is the sole large widebody freighter currently in production and is the most fuel-efficient option for the global freight market. The company estimates each export of a 777F contributes $440 million to the U.S. trade balance. Separately, Congress passed legislation allowing Boeing to continue producing its 767 freighter through 2033, exempting it from the same 2028 efficiency rules.