Lufthansa came one step closer to the delivery of their first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental on Wednesday as their first of 20 copies of the new aircraft took to the air.
The flight — call sign Boeing 22 — lifted off from Paine Field at 8:55 am Pacific time bound for Moses Lake in central Washington, with a wide turn over Idaho and western Montana thrown in. The new jet returned several hours later to Paine Field.
While it was the first 747-8I to fly wearing the Lufthansa livery, it was not first Lufthansa 747-8I to fly, however. Sister-ship Boeing 21 has been part of the 747-8 test and certification program for Boeing, but has not yet been painted in full livery.
Lufthansa anticipates delivery of the new aircraft in early 2012.
The flight came two years to the day after the very first 747-8 Freighter made its maiden flight in 2010.
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(Photos by Liem Bahneman)
