The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental unveiled at Boeing's Seattle plant on the 13th February in front of 10,000 Beoing employees and their families and invited guests in the hangar where the first 747 was unveiled in 1968. Boeing say that is is set to seat 51 more passengers than the current 747 at 467 in three class configuration. And will burn less fuel while doing so. And will be capable of flying 8,000nm at MTOW and at maximum passenger and baggage capacity.
Shockingly however, the firm has won only 33 orders so far for the passenger version of the aircraft from Lufthansa and Korean Air Lines, with 74 cargo versions being sold with some already flying. Although Boeing said they are confident that they will receive more orders once the passenger plane enters service later this year.
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© Royal S King at airliners.net |
The original 747 has sold more than 1,400 since it is was launched 42 years ago until the 747-400 was withdrawn from sale last year.
Aside from the capacity other features of the Intercontinental include new wings, a new tail, a sharper nose, state-of-the-art GE engines and a new cockpit. And while it carries fewer passengers than the Airbus A380, it will the world's longest airliner at 76.25 metres comparing to the A380's 72.73 metres.
The new model is seen as the newest rival for the Airbus A380, with the 787 Dreamliner set to A350 which are designed to bypass busy hubs and takes passengers closer to their final destination.
So the newest 747 which will always be the aircraft which identifies closely with Boeing than any other, when people think of Boeing, they think of the 747 and since its release it has proven and still proves to be one of the most iconic passenger airliners in the world.
Sources: BBC News
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