US government shutdown stalls Mammoth Freighters’ 777-200LRMF certification
November 3, 2025
Mammoth Freighters’ Boeing 777-200LR cargo conversion has hit a snag after the US government shutdown delayed its Supplemental Type Certification (STC).
Qatar Airways’ cargo division, launch customer of the 777-200LRMF, confirmed that the ongoing shutdown was impacting the programme, with the timeline said to be “indeterminate”.
Mark Drusch, chief cargo officer at Qatar Airways, told Air Cargo News: “The US government shutdown means that the certification process has slowed down.
“We need to see how much work can get done and how long the shutdown will be to determine when we get [the 777-200LRMF]. Right now, we are assuming that we get the first aircraft in January.”
The delay highlights just how dependent certification programmes are on government continuity in Washington.
Without FAA oversight, key inspection and documentation processes cannot move forward.
Aviation groups have also warned about the impact of the shutdown on ATC services, with controllers currently going without pay.
Mammoth’s 777 LRMF conversion
Mammoth completed its first test flight of the 777-200LRMF in May this year.
The prototype aircraft, registered as N705DN, took to the skies following an extensive conversion process.
The Texas-based firm is developing passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions for both the 777-200LR and 777-300ER, promising a high-payload, long-range alternative to factory-built freighters.
Certification of its first converted 777-200LR had been expected before the end of 2025, but progress has stalled. However, Mammoth believes it may still meet that target.
Brian McCarthy, vice president of marketing and sales at Mammoth, told Air Cargo News: “The government shutdown did affect us for a couple of weeks when the FAA was not in the office. But we are now fully engaged with the FAA, and they do have representatives working on this programme for us at this very moment.”
“They have also agreed to do a timeline that looks very promising for us to get this done before the end of the year,” he added.
Qatar Airways has an order for five of the aircraft. The Mammoth 777-200LRMF features the Collins Aerospace cargo loading system, optimised for the 777 passenger-to-freighter market.
The carrier’s freighter fleet includes 28 Boeing 777 freighters and 230 belly-hold aircraft.
Mammoth Freighters’ central role in the conversion industry
Mammoth was founded in December of 2020 specifically to design, develop, convert, and support the development of passenger to freighter conversions.
The company is developing a global production and conversion site network, which will include its Fort Worth, Texas-based Aspire MRO Facility as well as additional conversion capacity planned at three other sites around the world.
Mammoth also has engineering offices in Rancho Bernardo, California and Seattle, Washington.
Currently, Mammoth has seven 777-200/-300 aircraft undergoing conversion: five at Aspire MRO in Fort Worth, Texas, and two at STS Aviation Services in Manchester, UK. The company holds firm orders for 35 freighter conversions.
Featured image: Qatar Cargo
