Posted by Skyler Frink
EVERETT, WA., Oct. 12, 2011. Boeing (NYSE: BA) delivered the first Boeing 747-8 Freighter to Cargolux Airlines today. Following delivery at the Boeing Delivery Center at the company's Everett site, the airplane departed for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the new freighter will receive its first cargo load, destined for Cargolux headquarters in Luxembourg.
Boeing, Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines announced the initial orders for the 747-8 Freighter in November 2005. Today's delivery comes nearly 18 years after Cargolux was the recipient of the first Boeing 747-400 Freighter, which went on to become the workhorse and standard of the air cargo industry.
The airplane will be a perfect addition to the Cargolux fleet, said Frank Reimen, Cargolux president and CEO.
Cargolux has ordered a total of 13 747-8 Freighters – its 10-airplane launch order in 2005 and a follow-on order for three additional airplanes placed in 2007.
The 747-8 Freighter offers double-digit improvements in fuel burn, operating cost and lower emissions over the airplane it replaces. It also provides 16 percent more revenue-generating cargo volume, which allows it to hold seven additional pallets. The new model carries a maximum structural payload capacity of 147.6 tons (133.9 metric tonnes) while providing the same nose-door loading capability, industry-standard 10-foot (3-m) -high pallets and real-world cargo density capability at 9.9 pounds per cubic foot (159 kg/m3) as the industry standard 747-400 Freighter and maintaining interlining capability with the Boeing 777 Freighter.
The new GEnx-2B67 engines incorporate the latest technologies – such as a composite fan case and blades and a revolutionary turbine – to create double-digit efficiency gains over the engines it replaces.
Eight customers have ordered a total of 75 747-8 Freighters.
