AI cargo boom to shift to ‘hyper replacement’: Boeing
Boeing’s Darren Hulst says server refresh cycles will sustain AI-driven air cargo demand, and explains the 35-aircraft cap on its 777F exemption request
Darren Hulst, vice president of Commercial Marketing at Boeing, presented the company’s 2026 World Air Cargo Forecast at a media briefing during The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) Air Cargo Forum in Miami recently. He spoke from the 777-8 Freighter Immersive Theatre on the Boeing booth in the exhibition hall, which is built as a cross-section of a widebody freighter’s main deck.
In the question-and-answer session that followed, The STAT Trade Times had two questions for Hulst. The first was about how much of the recent surge in air cargo demand rests on the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure boom. The second was about how Boeing arrived at the number of 777 Freighters it wants to build under an exemption from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
From hyper growth to hyper replacement Hyperscalers are pouring money into data centres, but there are growing doubts about how long that pace can last. Asked by The STAT Trade Times whether Boeing was being cautious about its freighter demand projections, given the possibility of a pullback in data centre construction, Hulst said AI had so far worked in air cargo’s favour.
“I think in many ways the AI impact to air cargo has been an upside surprise. So, it’s been a big tailwind for demand,” he said. “I also think that as we look at how much demand that has driven, we’re conscious of the fact that it may not be like this forever.”
This story was originally published by STAT Times. Read the full story at STAT Times →
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