A computer mock up for what the Air China Boeing 747-8I will look like. Want bigger? Click for a 3500 x 2800 version. Photo from Boeing.
Boeing announced today that they have signed a contract with Air China for the purchase of five Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals. This is the third passenger airline, after Lufthansa and Korean Air to purchase the passenger version of the new Boeing 747-8I.
“Air China has been operating 747s since the 1980s,” said He Li, vice president of Air China. “The new, high capacity Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental will deliver exceptional economics and a great flying experience to our customers.”
The first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental comes out of the paint hangar all wrapped up. Won't know the livery until Sunday. Photo by Boeing.
Sneaky Boeing. Last night the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental was moved from the paint hangar back to the Boeing factory. I have been trying to find out what livery the aircraft was and was hoping that a keen eye might have caught it out in the open. However, Boeing was smart enough to wrap the 747-8I up like a present. Guess we will have to wait until tomorrow.
This first Boeing 747-8I is a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) and will be going to a government buyer. Boeing is not saying what government will be taking ownership of the aircraft. Since the plane will most likely have a custom livery done before delivery, the livery on the plane now really could be anyone’s guess.
Remember, Boeing will be doing a live webcast of the event at NewAirplane.com at 11am PST. Make sure to watch.
What a nice site to see while driving on the highway. Boeing's first 747-8 Intercontinental
This Sunday Boeing will unveil their newest and largest plane; the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. I have been asked by quite a few fans if the public will be able to see the airplane. The bad news is no, the whole unveiling will be done inside, meaning you can’t catch a glimpse from the Future of Flight or their parking lot — bummer.
However, the good news is Boeing will be doing a live feed of the event at Boeing’s NewAirplane.com site. The live webcast will start at 11am PST on Sunday the 13th. Boeing will be giving information to the media starting Saturday morning, so you will be able to catch a lot more via Twitter. You can follow me (@AirlineReporter), @FlightBlogger and/or the hashtag #7478FT.
I have been trying to find out what livery the 747-8I will have, but Boeing isn’t talking. Guess we will all have to find out on Sunday. I am hoping it is the full Boeing livery, but I think even the light livery should look slick. Who knows, maybe they will go a little crazy and it will be in Lufthansa livery. Either way, I can’t wait.
Image: moonm
The First Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental gets some fresh air at Paine Field. Click for a MUCH larger version. Photo by/from Boeing.
We are now less than two weeks, away from the official roll out of the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. On the Sunday the 31st this photo was taken by Boeing as the plane was being moved over to the paint hangar. In less than two short weeks on February 13th at about 11am, the aircraft will officially be unveiled to the world at a special ceremony at the Boeing factory.
The lucky folks who attended Aviation Geekfest 2010 were able to get a glimpse of the first 747-8I in person and I have to say she is one very beautiful bird. You better believe I will be there to see her debut on the 13th — it is a special valentines day gift for us airline geeks.
For those of you able to come hang out at Paine Field on the 13th, I invite you to come early, check out the Future of Flight and Boeing factory tour for a possible glimpse of the aircraft before it is unveiled to the world.
Still no word on who the owner of this amazing plane will be. I am told it is a private buyer and I know that all eight Boeing Business Jet orders for the 747-8 are for governments. If anyone is able to track down the owner, that would be awesome to share either via comments or always confidential via email (da***@ai*************.com)
Mock up of the Boeing 747-8I in full Boeing livery. Photo by Boeing.
A quick little update on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 737. Too much interesting news coming from Boeing to write individual posts, so here we go:
787 DREAMLINER ZA102 AND OTHERS:
Boeing announced on Monday that they expect the first 787 to be delivered to All Nippon Airways (ANA) during third quarter 2011. Boeing stated, “The new delivery date reflects the impact of an in-flight incident during testing last November and includes the time required to produce, install and test updated software and new electrical power distribution panels in the flight test and production airplanes.” They have also worked additional time into the schedule in-case other issues pop up between now and then. Flight Blogger asks some important questions of these changes. ZA001, ZA002, ZA004 and ZA005 are all back in test flight status.
As of now ZA102, the ninth 787, has still not taken flight. Word was it was supposed to take flight on Monday, but as of now it still has not flown. I asked Lori Gunter, with Boeing 787 Communications, about the delay and she brought up a great point. “It wouldn’t be right to call it a delay. We are working through the disciplined process of getting to first flight. Until all of the work is complete, we won’t fly. Boeing has not committed to a first flight date on ZA102.” All the 787s are still going through the testing phase and I am sure Boeing wants ZA102 to fly more than us outside observers do.
747-8 INTERCONTINENTAL ROLL OUT DATE:
On Tuesday, Boeing announced the roll-out ceremony for the passenger version of the 747-8I (RC001) will be on February 13th — a perfect Valentine’s gift for all those airline geeks out there. The Boeing 747-8 Freighter has been conducting flight tests, but this will be the first Boeing 747-8 that will carry passengers. I have been told the first aircraft will be delivered to a private buyer. As of December 2010, the Boeing 747-8 has eight private buyers, which were all governments. I haven’t been able to track down who will take delivery of the first Boeing 747-8I. However, I have confirmed the aircraft will be in Boeing livery, but unsure if it will be the full livery or light (I am hoping for the full). At this time, Boeing does not know the exact time and of course the date could move depending on the circumstances. I will keep you updated on any changes for the roll out and first flight of the 747-8I. If you can’t make it to see in person, Boeing will be providing a live webcast of the event.
737 FUEL EFFICIENT ENGINES:
Although the Boeing 747-8 and 787 have been getting a lot of attention recently, the Boeing 737 is making a bit of news as well. United/Continental has been working with Boeing to test out a new, more fuel efficient engine on the 737. It might only be a 2% savings, but with the average flying of a Boeing 737, that can add up to about $125,000.00 in savings per airplane, per year — not to mention the environment impact. Learn more about this and watch a video on Boeing’s website.
UPDATES: Man, Boeing is just on a roll this week with exciting information. I normally do one blog per day, but have been doing two per day because of Boeing’s good stuff. Here are two more additions announced today:
777-300ER FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines and Boeing announced today that the airline has ordered two Boeing 777-300ER. This is the first US airline that has ordered this type of aircraft. The two -300ERs will join American’s fleet of 47 Boeing 777-200ERs. American hopes to take delivery of the new aircraft in late 2012.
CHINA ORDERS 200 BOEING AIRPLANES
Again today, Boeing announced that China will order 200 aircraft worth a reported $19billion. Boeing spokesman Miles Kotay told KOMO news that the deal is for 185 Boeing 737 jets and 15 Boeing 777s. Although exciting, this does not change the current 737 backlog numbers, but confirms the finalization of orders already announced.
