Tag Archives: 7478

Boeing slows down 747-8 production rate due to decreased demand

Boeing (Chicago) has announced that it will adjust the production rate for the 747-8 program from two airplanes to 1.75 airplanes per month because of lower market demand for large passenger and freighter airplanes.

Boeing will continue to monitor market conditions and their effect on production rates moving forward. The company expects long-term average growth in the air cargo market to resume in 2014, and forecasts a demand for 790 large airplanes (such as the 747-8 Intercontinental) to be delivered worldwide over the next 20 years.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 747-8JK Intercontinental N6067E (msn 38636) climbs away from the runway at Paine Field near Everett.

Atlas Air takes delivery of its eighth Boeing 747-800F freighter

Atlas Air (New York) has taken delivery of its eighth Boeing 747-8F Freighter.

Pursuant to a letter of intent (LOI) with an undisclosed customer, the new aircraft is expected to enter ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) service during the first half of the second quarter of 2013, which will allow the customer time to integrate the capacity into its scheduled network.

Prior to beginning in ACMI, the aircraft will be operated in short-term, revenue-generating service.

Atlas Air expects to receive one additional 747-8F by the end of the second quarter of 2013, completing the delivery of its order program for nine aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 747-87UF N854FT (msn 37566) was handed over in the full Atlas Air livery on April 1. N854FT climbs away from Paine Field near Everett.

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Atlas Air issues a statement concerning its General Electric GEnc-2B engines

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (Atlas Air) (New York) today issued the following statement in response to inquiries about the General Electric GEnx-2B engines serving the company’s Boeing 747-8 Freighter fleet:

“Atlas Air Worldwide’s industry leadership and our operations are based on a deep commitment to and a track record of safety, compliance and security.

Reflecting our commitment and track record, we have worked closely and continually with General Electric regarding the GEnx-2B engines serving our new Boeing 747-8 Freighters, five of which are currently in service and four of which remain to be delivered to us.

In conjunction with GE, we established a plan to inspect each of the engines serving our existing 747-8s and will work with GE to inspect the engines that will power our remaining 747-8 deliveries.

To date, the inspections have not uncovered any issues with our engines and have not resulted in any loss of flying time by our 747-8 Freighters.

We have also worked with GE to establish a plan to re-inspect each of our GEnx-2B engines at appropriate intervals.

Future periodic inspections of our GEnx engines are planned to be carried out during regularly scheduled maintenance checks on our 747-8 aircraft.

As a result, we do not expect re-inspections of our GEnx engines to disrupt our ability to continue to provide safe, value-added 747-8F service to our customers.

As always, reflecting our commitment to and our track record of safety, compliance and security leadership, we will fully comply with any and all directives issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators with respect to the operation of our aircraft.”

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. The first new Boeing 747-800F freighter in full Atlas Air colors is seen at Paine Field near Everett, WA. 747-87UF (msn 37571) prepares to depart from PAE and will be delivered later this month.

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Lufthansa to fly the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to Bangalore starting on September 13

Lufthansa‘s (Frankfurt) passengers can now book flights to the latest Boeing 747-8 destination. Tickets for flights on the Frankfurt-Bangalore route with the Lufthansa flagship are now on sale. From September 13, the “Queen of the Skies” will depart daily from Frankfurt for Bangalore at 12.15 hours, operating under flight number LH 754. The scheduled arrival time in the Indian metropolis is 0.30 hours local time. Two hours later, LH 755 will return to its home base in Frankfurt, landing at 08.25 hours.

Lufthansa will soon take delivery of its third Boeing 747-8 and add the final touches to the aircraft, which will bear the registration of D-ABYD. As soon as it is ready to enter into service, it will be deployed on the route to Bangalore – the third Lufthansa destination to be served by the new jumbo jet. The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental currently flies to Washington (Dulles) and Delhi.

On board, Lufthansa passengers can enjoy the new Business Class, which includes a seat that can be converted at the press of a button into a horizontal sleeping surface measuring 1.98 metres in length. The new seat offers exceptional comfort for passengers in a sitting or recumbent position, intuitive adjustment features, additional storage space and enhanced entertainment system.

The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental is a completely new aircraft that builds upon the positive features of the Boeing 747 series, Lufthansa’s long-haul workhorse for more than 40 years. The aircraft’s wings have significantly improved aerodynamics and newly developed wingtips. The aircraft also provides tangible improvements in terms of eco-efficiency. The GEnx-2B engines consume less fuel and achieve a 15 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions per passenger. In addition, noise emissions have been reduced by 30 per cent.

In 2012, Lufthansa expects to take delivery of a further Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, which is scheduled to operate flights to Los Angeles. To date, Lufthansa has ordered a total of 20 Boeing 747-8 aircraft.

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