In early January 2001, the deal was confirmed when FedEx signed a memorandum of understanding for the newly named A380-800F. In signing up for 10 firm plus further options, FedEx became the seventh customer for the superjumbo and increased the overall backlog to 60. FedEx was also the first U.S. operator for the aircraft, as well as the first dedicated cargo airline to be a launch customer for the A380 freighter.
FedEx Chairman Fred Smith said that the A380-800F’s 39,000 cubic feet of cargo space was a “quantum leap in size and capability” over the MD-11F and even the 747X Stretch which, he added, was “much smaller in terms of cubic space.” Aside from the 331,000-pound payload, transpacific range, and an option for further growth variants, the deal also was allied to very keen pricing and negotiations over possibly accelerating deliveries that initially called for the aircraft to come into the fleet at the rate of three per year from 2008 onward.
Boeing said the FedEx loss was very disappointing but pressed on with briefing 21 other prospective customers at a cargo symposium in Seattle the same month. Atlas, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Cargolux, and Lufthansa were all there, as was Air France, which was still showing interest in the 747 freighter, despite being an A380 launch customer. The FedEx loss, however, was a major blow from which the 747X Stretch effort never fully recovered, and within three months Boeing’s development priorities had shifted to an altogether new focus—the Sonic Cruiser high-speed long-range 767 airliner replacement.
The move also signaled an end, at least for the moment, to Boeing’s challenge of the A380. In a statement on March 29, 2001, the company said, “airline customers have indicated that, with continued improvements, the 747-400 family will satisfy the majority of their large airplane needs. Development of the Longer Range 747-400 (with optional auxiliary tanks and heavier structure) will continue; the first airplane will be delivered to Qantas in November 2002. Boeing is also studying additional improvements to the 747-400 and will protect its ability to develop a larger 747X, if and when customers indicate a need.” Ironically, the subsequent abandonment of the Sonic Cruiser led to the more efficient 7E7 study in early 2003. This was later launched as the 787 Dreamliner with advanced engines that were also offered on a new version of the 747 dubbed the Advanced. In April 2005, just as the A380 was making its first flight, Boeing selected the General Electric GEnx engine for the 747 Advanced stretch, which was offered in both passenger and freighter versions. With a go/no-go choice to make by mid-2005, it was Boeing’s last chance to extend the life of the venerable jumbo, with cargo carriers such as Cargolux tipped as potential customers.