Mechanics at The Boeing Company began final assembly work on the first 777 Freighter at the company's Everett, Wash., facility this week. The new cargo airplane will roll out of the factory later this month, and work will begin to prepare the airplane for flight test this summer.

The 777 Freighter will fly farther and provide more capacity than any other twin-engine cargo airplane. Boeing will deliver the first 777 Freighter to its launch customer Air France in the fourth quarter of 2008. The 777 Freighter is based on the 777-200LR Worldliner passenger airplane and is built using the same production line as all other models of the 777. Eleven customers around the world have ordered 78 777 Freighters.