A little over two weeks after completing over 3,400 hours of flight testing, on Friday the Boeing 747-8 Freighter was deemed flightworthy and received certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
First Boeing 747-8F test flight.
Certification marks the final hurdle before the first production aircraft can be delivered to the 747-8F’s launch customer, Luxembourg-based Cargolux. Delivery is expected in early September.
“This is such a great day for everyone on the 747 team,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Over the last several years, this team has overcome challenge after challenge. Through their hard work and dedication, they have ensured that the 747, the Queen of the Skies, will fly for decades to come.”
The Amended Type Certificate earned by the 747-8F acknowledges that the FAA and EASA have certified that the design of the 747-8 Freighter is compliant with all aviation regulatory requirements and will produce a safe and reliable airplane. In addition to the airplane logging more than 3,400 hours of flight testing, engineers spent thousands of hours on the ground testing parts, component and materials on the road to certification.
As a general rule, the EASA automatically grants certifications to U.S.-built aircraft certified by the FAA, while the FAA does the same for European-built planes which pass EASA criteria.
Boeing continues testing of the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger model of the aircraft.
