Afcom (O9, Chennai) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Boeing for up to four B777-8Fs as it looks to expand into long-haul cargo operations, the company announced in a stock exchange filing on September 2, 2026.
Afcom said the freighters would be used on sectors of 10-12 hours or more and would offer around five times the payload capacity of its current B737 freighter fleet.
Chairman and managing director Deepak Parasuraman told Indian Transport and Logistics News that the final number could still change, although "the intent is to take four". He declined to disclose delivery dates or commercial terms and said the widebodies would be based at Chennai to support expansion towards the Far East and Africa.
Afcom had previously said in September 2025 that it aimed to induct four B777 widebody freighters by June 2027, with two to be funded through a preferential share issue and two through an institutional share placement. Its latest annual report lists two additional B737-800 converted freighters and four B777 widebody freighters as being in the pipeline.
Parasuraman said Afcom initially plans to source older B777s before adding new-build aircraft. It remains unclear whether the B777-8Fs would replace or supplement those earlier-planned aircraft.
Boeing currently plans the first B777-8F delivery in 2028, with Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) as the type's launch customer.
According to ch-aviation data, Afcom operates two B737-800(BCF)s and one B737-800(SF).
