Amid the doom and gloom of an industry hemorrhaging at the hands of a worsening global economic crisis, launch customer Air France took delivery of the first of Boeing’s new 777 freighter this week. “I think it’s very important that we could get and could operate a more efficient product” in light of the “crisis” facing the airline industry, said Pierre Vellay, executive vice president for new aircraft for Air France. Air France, along with a handful of other airlines, played an active role in the creation of the 777 Freighter, Vellay said during a delivery ceremony held outside Seattle. The airline has five 777 freighters on order but looks set to delay delivery of at least two, even after its first was delayed by a few months as a result of the Boeing machinists strike last year. It’s an industry that is in a “major crisis,” Vellay, Air France’s executive vice president of fleet planning, said at the delivery event. He disclosed to reporters that Air France is in talks with Boeing to delay delivery of two of the five 777 freighters it has on order, along with a few of the 17 remaining 777-300ER passengers planes it has ordered.