Boeing rolls out new flagship plane 747-8
Monday 14 February 2011 8:47 AM
US airplane manufacturer Boeing, under pressure from its rival Airbus, on Sunday unveiled its new top-of -the range model 747-8 Intercontinental, the latest version of the iconic 747 series, at its plant in Everett near Seattle.
The new plane, a long-haul model with a seating capacity for 467 passengers, is marketed by Boeing as an airplane with the lowest operating costs in its range and one that is "greener" than others as Boeing engineers concentrated their efforts to reduce fuel consumption and enhance environmental performance.
The new model at an average price of $317.5 million clearly targets the Airbus 380, which was delivered in 2007 by the European consortium as the largest passenger plane ever with space for up to 555 passengers.
Boeing responded with a longer and newly designed version of its 747, which it thinks will attract carriers all over the globe due to - what Boeing says - its lower overall operating costs.
"The new 747-8 Intercontinental is more than 10 per cent lighter per seat than the Airbus A380 and consumes 11 per cent less fuel per passenger," said Randy J. Tinseth, Vice President Marketing of Commercial Airplanes, at Boeing.
"That translates into a trip-cost reduction of 21 per cent and a seat-mile cost reduction of more than 6 per cent compared to the A380," he added.
The 747-8 was launched in 2005 and first built as a cargo version, of which 18 planes have already been ordered by Cargolux (Luxembourg) and Nippon Cargo Airlines (Japan). Other pre-orders came from Atlas Air and Cathay Pacific.
For the passenger version, 747-8 Intercontinental, Lufthansa from Germany was the first to order 20 planes, followed by Korean Air with 5 planes. Altogether, 33 orders for the passenger plane currently are in Boeing's books, including 8 orders from private customers and governments.
Boeing does not reveal the names, but some of the Boeing Business Jet VIP guests spotted at the launch were apparently from Kuwait and Brunei.
Together with the cargo version, 107 planes have been pre-booked by customers. Largest single customer for the 747-8 cargo is Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, which has pre-ordered 15 planes.
However, total orders for the 747-8 are nowhere near the delayed 787 Dreamliner, of which Boeing says it has 847 pre-orders.
The maiden flight for the passenger version of the 747-8 is planned for "spring 2011", according to Elisabeth Lund, Vice President and Deputy Programme manager for the 747 programme at Boeing.
"This is the largest plane we have ever built," said Jim Albaugh, Boeing's executive vice president and president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. When the 747 series first was inaugurated in 1969, it was by far the largest commercial airplane on the market and maintained this role for around 40 years, until Airbus introduced the A380. The 747 also was a commercial success, as 1418 planes have been sold since.
However, airline analysts say that orders for the new plane are comparably low so far, as only two airlines have committed themselves to buy some. But Saj Ahmad, sector expert and aerospace analyst based in London, told Gulf News that he expects orders for the 747-8 to pick up soon, and he also sees Middle East carriers among the customers.
747 programme chief Lund said at the launch on Sunday that Boeing "is very optimistic" regarding sales.
"It has not been a great time for big airplanes in the last period of the economic downturn in the sector, but we are in an upcycle again. We believe this airline will sell very well."
So far, there are no orders from Middle Eastern airlines, but dominant players such as Emirates have shown interest, according to industry sources. Emirates has a mixed fleet of Boeing and Airbus plane and currently is the biggest 777 operator worldwide. However, Emirates has not publicly announced interest in the new Boeing 747-8.
"The Middle East is one of the biggest markets for big airplanes," Boeing's marketing executive Tinseth told Gulf News on the sidelines of the 747-8 launch event in Seattle.
"There are only a handful of carriers, but there is a need for large planes. Interest is there, absolutely, but it is going to be difficult. We have been talking to Middle East carriers, but we do not disclose names."
Boeing's first new customer of the 747-8, Lufthansa, has ordered 20 passenger planes of the 747-8, with an option for 20 more. Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President of Lufthansa Group Fleet Management, said that his company has expressed its committed to the new Boeing 747 model despite it also recently bought a couple of Airbus A 380.
"An A380 you have to fill first before it becomes economical," Buchholz said.
The seat-mile costs, an important calculation factor for carriers, of both planes are "close to each other", he added, saying that Boeing's calculation of significantly lower fuel cost per passenger "depends on the configuration" of the plane. Lufthansa has found "a compromise in pricing," he said.
He added that Lufthansa - similar to the German car industry - has committed itself to reduce the fuel use to three litres per passenger per 100 kilometres, "a target which can be achieved."
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