Last updated May 9, 2026 — based on the April 14, 2026 delivery ceremony at the Boeing Everett Factory and National Airlines’ announced May 2026 entry into revenue service.
Quick answer: National Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 777-200F (registration N791CA) at the Boeing Everett Factory on April 14, 2026, and the aircraft is scheduled to enter revenue service in May 2026. Three more 777-200F freighters will follow over the coming months. The delivery is a useful data point for Snohomish County aerospace workers because it confirms that the 777F program — sundowning under current FAA emissions rules in 2027 — is still actively delivering revenue-service freighters to commercial cargo carriers, and the workforce that builds them is still busy.
What happened at Paine Field
On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, Florida-based National Airlines marked the delivery of its first Boeing 777-200F freighter at the Boeing Everett Factory in Snohomish County. The aircraft, registered as N791CA and carrying manufacturer’s serial number 70547, was the first of four 777-200Fs the carrier ordered at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2024. The delivery ceremony at Paine Field included a symbolic ribbon-cutting, a guided tour of the airframe, and remarks from senior National Airlines and Boeing representatives.
National Airlines first announced N791CA had begun test flights at Orlando in late March 2026. The aircraft cleared its mandatory flight tests, performance evaluations, and regulatory checks in the weeks leading up to the April 14 delivery, with the carrier publicly announcing a May 2026 entry into revenue service. The remaining three 777-200F freighters in the order will undergo their respective test flight programs in the coming months.
Why this is an Everett story, not just a National Airlines story
Every commercial 777 ever delivered has been built at the Boeing Everett factory at Paine Field. That includes 777-200ER passenger jets, 777-300ERs, 777Fs, and now the upcoming 777-8F freighter and 777-9 passenger variant. The factory is the only place on Earth where 777-family widebody assembly happens. When a freighter rolls out and gets handed to a customer, it is by definition a Snohomish County workforce milestone.
The 777-200F program has been the workhorse of Boeing’s cargo line in Everett for nearly two decades. The freighter has 102 metric tons of payload, range north of 9,000 kilometers, and twin-engine fuel economy that has made it the dominant pure freighter in long-haul air cargo. National Airlines becomes one of the newest 777F operators worldwide.
The 2027 sundown question
The 777F is also the program that, as of right now, is set to end production in Everett in 2027 unless the FAA grants Boeing’s pending exemption request. Earlier this week, Tygart Media covered the public comment period on Boeing’s petition to keep building 777-200F freighters past the 2027 carbon emissions deadline. The FAA’s decision will determine whether Everett’s 777F production line stays open through approximately 2028 or wraps up next year.
National Airlines’ four-aircraft order is part of the order book Boeing is working through right now. UPS holds 17 unfilled 777F orders. FedEx has 12. Add the National Airlines four, and the Everett 777F backlog is in the low-30s — meaningful months of work for the cargo line workforce, but a finite countdown unless the FAA exemption goes through.
What changes when N791CA enters service in May
For National Airlines specifically, N791CA replaces older fleet capacity and gives the carrier a long-haul cargo asset for charter, ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) and contract operations into Asia-Pacific and trans-Atlantic markets. National has been a niche cargo carrier with passenger charter operations; the 777F brings them into the same league as the major integrators and large-frame charter operators.
For Boeing’s order book, the Farnborough 2024 deal — four 777Fs to a midsize cargo specialist — was a signal that the 777F market still had pull beyond the UPS and FedEx mega-orders. The May 2026 entry-into-service is the proof point. Operators that ordered late are now actually flying the airplanes.
What this means for Everett’s cargo-line workers
The Everett cargo line — the bay where 777Fs are mated, painted, fueled, and flight-tested — employs hundreds of mechanics, electricians, painters, flight-test crew, delivery technicians, and quality inspectors. Every one of those positions is a Snohomish County household, a paycheck spent locally, and a worker who needs a transition path if the 777F line ends in 2027.
The optimistic transition path is the 777-8F, the new-generation freighter Boeing rolled out for the first time on April 23, 2026 — which Tygart Media covered at the time. The 777-8F uses much of the same workforce and many of the same tools as the 777F, with launch customer Cargolux taking the first delivery and Qatar Airways anchoring the launch order. Workers who built the 777F in Everett are precisely the workforce Boeing needs to staff the 777-8F.
The pessimistic path — if the FAA emissions exemption is denied and the 777-8F ramp slips — is a workforce gap of perhaps 18 months between 777F sundown and 777-8F volume. That is the gap that has Snohomish County aerospace planners, IAM 751 leadership, and Boeing internal workforce strategists watching the FAA exemption decision closely.
The cargo continuity narrative
Step back from the program-specific math and a broader pattern emerges: Everett is the cargo widebody factory of the world. The 767F has been delivering through 2026 and will sundown in 2027. The 777F is delivering now and is on the same 2027 line absent an exemption. The 777-8F is the next-generation replacement. The KC-46 Pegasus tanker — derived from the 767 — is delivering at roughly 19 per year and remains under contract for years to come. Israel’s first KC-46 (the airframe named “Gideon”) flew its maiden flight on May 4 and is set for June delivery, as covered last night.
National Airlines’ first 777F is one delivery in a sequence of widebody and military deliveries flowing out of Paine Field every month. Each one is a Snohomish County employment confirmation. Each one is also a tick on the clock toward 2027, when the program mix at Everett rebalances toward the 777-9, 777-8F, KC-46, and the new 737 North Line.
Frequently asked questions
When did National Airlines take delivery of its first 777F?
April 14, 2026, at the Boeing Everett Factory in Snohomish County, Washington. The aircraft is registered N791CA and carries manufacturer’s serial number 70547.
When does the aircraft enter revenue service?
National Airlines has publicly stated May 2026 for entry into revenue service, following completion of mandatory flight tests, performance evaluations, and regulatory procedures.
How many 777Fs has National Airlines ordered?
Four. The order was placed at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2024. The remaining three airframes will go through test flight programs over the coming months.
Is the 777F still being built at Everett?
Yes. Production continues through 2027 under current FAA emissions rules. Boeing has a pending exemption request that, if granted, would extend production. The public comment period closed May 7, 2026.
What is the 777F’s payload capacity?
Approximately 102 metric tons (224,000 pounds). Range exceeds 9,000 kilometers (4,860 nautical miles). It is a twin-engine widebody freighter and the dominant pure freighter in long-haul air cargo.
How does this connect to Everett aerospace jobs?
The 777F is built at the Boeing Everett Factory at Paine Field. Mechanics, electricians, painters, flight-test crew, delivery technicians, and quality inspectors all participate in each delivery. National Airlines’ delivery is a Snohomish County workforce milestone.
What replaces the 777F in Everett if the line closes?
The 777-8F, Boeing’s new-generation freighter that rolled out on April 23, 2026, with Cargolux as launch customer and Qatar Airways anchoring the launch order. The 777-8F uses much of the same workforce as the 777F.
The bottom line for Snohomish County
National Airlines’ first 777F entering revenue service in May 2026 is a small line in a very long order book. But it is also a confirmation: the Everett cargo line is still building airplanes, still delivering them to commercial operators, and still employing the Snohomish County workforce that has been in those bays for nearly twenty years. The next chapter — 777-8F volume, KC-46 sustainment, North Line 737 ramp — is the one being staffed up right now. The hand-off is the story.
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