=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/03/25/financial/= f050211S69.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, March 25, 2005 (AP) Air France Plans to Buy Boeing 777s (03-25) 05:02 PST PARIS, France (AP) -- Air France said Friday it plans to replace part of its aging fleet of cargo planes with Boeing's new 777 freighter version. Air France would not comment on a report in financial daily La Tribune that the carrier is about to become Boeing Co.'s launch customer for the 777 freighter by ordering seven of the new planes. But a spokesman for the airline confirmed that the 777 freighter, which enters service in 2008, is the favored option to replace its eight Boeing 747-200s. "These planes are being taken out of service progressively and replaced with new planes," Jean-Claude Couturier said. "For freight, it's the 777 that we're interested in." Air France — now part of Air France-KLM SA, the world's largest airline — is also looking to replace its four larger 747-400ERF freighters, and European aircraft maker Airbus will be keen to push its mammoth A380 — whose cargo version also enters service in 2008. Air France has ordered 10 A380 passenger jets, but Couturier suggested that a decision on whether to buy "superjumbo" freighters was some way off. "Air France has not yet given any consideration to the A380," he said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 AP