Boeing on Wednesday announced the delivery of the 50th 747-8, a milestone in the latest generation of the so called “queen of the skies.” The 747-8 Intercontinental was delivered to Lufthansa, almost one year after the first revenue flight of the 747-8 Intercontinental, and is the airline’s seventh 747-8 and its 82nd overall 747.
“Lufthansa is very proud to have the next Boeing 747-8 entering our fleet – almost exactly one year after the launch flight from Frankfurt to Washington, DC,” said Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President Fleet Management, Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “After one year of operation and now seven aircraft in the fleet, the aircraft has proven and delivered the excellent economical and ecological performance. We are very happy with the reliable operation of the 747-8.”
“This delivery is not only an important milestone for the 747-8 program, but it sets the stage for our future,” said Eric Lindblad, vice president and general manager, 747 program. “We will be building and delivering the 747-8 for decades to come.”
“Boeing delivered the first 747-8 Intercontinental to Lufthansa in April 2012. The airplane entered service on June 1, 2012 with a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Washington, D.C.” said Boeing, via press release. “To date, 35 Freighters and 15 Intercontinentals, including eight of the Boeing Business Jet version, have been delivered.”
Only a small handful of passenger airlines have outstanding orders for the 747-8i, including 5 from Air China, 5 from Korean Air, and 2 from Nigerian carrier Arik Air (though those orders remain in question due to the financial state of the airline). The 747-8 freighter version has proved more successful, but not by much. Many airlines are choosing to operate smaller aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 series and Airbus A330.
