EVERETT, Wash., Sept. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) will deliver the first 747-8 Freighter to launch customer Cargolux Sept. 19 at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Cargolux will fly the airplane away that morning and put the airplane into revenue service. Boeing will celebrate the first delivery with Cargolux, employees and other stakeholders the following day at the Everett factory. Cargolux will take delivery of the second 747-8 Freighter Sept. 21. The carrier has a total of 13 of the airplanes on order.

Source: Boeing
Photo: Rob Vogelaar, ZAPP

“It’s so exciting to be able to deliver two of these amazing airplanes to Cargolux in one week,” said Elizabeth Lund, vice president and general manager, Boeing 747 program. “Cargolux has been a great partner for many years, and we so appreciate its deep commitment to this program.”

“It is great to receive our first two 747-8 Freighters within just a few days,” said Frank Reimen, president and chief executive officer of Cargolux. “In a sense, history is repeating itself. We were pioneering the cargo industry when we put the first 747-400 Freighter into revenue service in 1993. This is what we do once again with the 747-8 Freighter, which is ultimately a testimony of our good and long-standing partnership with Boeing. We are proud to be the world’s first cargo operator to benefit from the game-changing performance and efficiency of this ground-breaking aircraft.”

The 747-8 Freighter is the new high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter airplane while providing enhanced environmental performance. It is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume compared to its predecessor. That translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets.