Aircraft / Boeing 747-8

Oct 22, 2024
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Boeing 747-8F in livery of AirMark Cargo Airlines, shown in side view.

A member of the legendary Boeing 747 family, the Boeing 747-8 is a large, wide-body, long range four-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a division of The Boeing Company. Boeing Commercial Airplanes is headquartered in Renton, Washington USA, while the parent company’s head office is located in Arlington, Virginia USA.

The Boeing 747-8 is the final version of the Boeing 747 family, and also the largest variant of the 747 series. The 747-8 was offered in two versions: the Boeing 747-8F Freighter, which began revenue service in October 2011, and the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental (also known as the Boeing 747-8I or Boeing 747-8i), which entered service in June 2012.

Boeing 747-8I in livery of JetSelect Aviation, shown in side view.

Set to compete against the new Airbus A380 double-deck airliner, at the time the 747-8 was launched in 2005 studies indicated there was estimated worldwide market demand for over 1200 Very Large Aircraft (VLA), including expected demand for at least 300 of the new 747-8 series. Numerous factors - the Great Recession of 2008 and the slow recovery afterwards, slowing demand for large freighters, high operating costs and a general market shift towards smaller capacity long range airliners - all contributed to muted interest in both the Boeing 747-8 series and its chief rival, the Airbus A380.

Production of the Boeing 747-8 ended in January 2023, 53 years after the first generation 747 entered revenue service and only 12 years after the 747-8 itself began production. Only 155 units - 107 747-8Fs and 48 747-8Is - were built. As of October 2024, 152 Boeing 747-8 aircraft were still in active airline service worldwide.

Reference: Wikipedia.

Stats

Stats displayed are for the Boeing 747-8 quadjet aircraft.

  • Name: Boeing 747-8I (passenger) and Boeing 747-8F (freighter)

  • Origin: Everett, Washington USA

  • Role: Four Engine Wide-body Jet Airliner

  • First Introduction: 12 October 2011 (747-8F) and 28 February 2012 (747-8I)

  • Status: Out of Production; In Service

  • Cockpit Crew: Two

  • Accommodation:

    • 747-8I Seating: 364-467

    • 747-8F Cargo Capacity: 46 96 x 125 in pallets + 2 LD1 containers

  • Engines: 4 x GE Aerospace GEnx-2B67

  • Cruise Speed: 490 knots (908 km/h; 564 mph)

  • Range:

    • 747-8I: 7730 nmi (14,320 km; 8900 mi)

    • 747-8F: 4265 nmi (7899 km; 4908 mi)