AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has coBoeing is targeting a year-end launch for its conceptual B777X, in time for a late decade service entry, said the company’s commercial unit CEO, Jim Albaugh.

We’re working towards being in a position toward the end of this year to talk to our board. That’s assuming the business case closes, that’s assuming the technical trades are ones that close,” says Albaugh, who was speaking at a press conference following the unveiling of Boeing’s 1,000th 777. “There’s not a question of whether we’ll do something, it’s just a question of when,” he added.

Boeing is putting together a group of airlines to determine what the aircraft – aimed at challenging Airbus’ A350-1000 – might look like, and also assessing the size of the non-recurring development costs, Albaugh added. Emirates leadership was briefed on the latest 777X studies earlier in the day, says Sheikh Ahmed bin
Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates.

“Our teams have been in dialogue with the Boeing team for some time now, it’s really very interesting to see this new aircraft if it will come out. It would be an excellent aircraft to have in Emirates, he
says. Emirates has 102 B777s in service now, making it the biggest customer for the model and has another 93 on order.

The conceptual two-member family is seen as a 14,800km (8,000nm) 407- seat 777-9X and 353-seat 777-8X and potentially even a third model in an ultra long-range 777-8LX with each of the variants having stretched fuselages and likely the addition of  B787-style composite wings.

The first of Airbus’ A350, called the A350-900, is scheduled for first deliveries in the first half of 2014, while the A350- 1000 model, which is aimed squarely at the B777-300, isn’t slated to enter service until 2017.