First 747-8 freighter rolls out

BOEING towed the first 747-8 freighter out of its Washington factory yesterday. The aircraft, ultimately destined for Cargolux, will now be painted and begin preparations for its flight test.“It is very rewarding to see this airplane transition to the flight test phase,” said Mo Yahyavi, 747-programme vice-president and general manager. “Our employees, suppliers and customers have put a lot of work into making the 747-8 freighter a reality.”The freighter is the new high-capacity version of the 747 that will lower operating costs and has 16 per cent more cargo volume compared to its predecessor. That translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets.Boeing has secured 78 orders for the 747-8 freighter from carriers such as AirBridgeCargo, Atlas Air, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim, Korean Air and Nippon Cargo Airlines.