The new 747 By Boeing flys

Boeing’s new jumbo jet

The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jetliner lands at Le Bourget airport on the eve of the Paris Air Show.Click for more photos

The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jetliner lands at Le Bourget airport on the eve of the Paris Air Show.

  • The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jetliner lands at Le Bourget airport on the eve of the Paris Air Show.
  • The elongated Intercontinental is the world's longest passenger aircraft and has 51 more seats than a standard 747.
  • The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jetliner lands at Le Bourget airport on the eve of the Paris Air Show.
  • The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jetliner parked on the eve of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris.
  • The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental lands at Le Bourget airport near Paris.
  • Boeing's new 747-8 Intercontinental long version of its famed jumbo jet landed outside Paris on Sunday a day ahead of its debut outside the United States at the Paris International Air Show.
  • The new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jetliner taxis, with
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental, Boeing's largest-ever passenger airplane, takes off for the first time.
  • The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental airliner, the company's newest and largest passenger plane, starts its engines on the runway before it takes off for its first test flight.
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental, Boeing's largest-ever passenger airplane, takes off for the first time from Paine Field in Everett, USA.
  • The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental airliner, the company's newest and largest passenger plane.
  • The Boeing 747- 8 Intercontinental passenger plane takes off for its first test flight.
  • The Boeing 747- 8 Intercontinental passenger plane taxis before taking off on its first test flight at Paine Field in Everett, US.
  • The Boeing 747- 8 Intercontinental passenger plane taxis before taking off on its first test flight at Paine Field in Everett, US.
  • The Boeing 747- 8 Intercontinental passenger plane taxis before taking off on its first test flight at Paine Field in Everett, US.
  • Boeing raises a curtain to unveil the 747-8 jumbo passenger jet to thousands of employees and guests at the company's Everett manufacturing facility last month.
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental will seat 467 passengers, 51 more than the current version of the 747, and burn less fuel while offering passengers more comfort, the US planemaker says.
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental will seat 467 passengers, 51 more than the current version of the 747, and burn less fuel while offering passengers more comfort, the US planemaker says.
  • The 747 lost its crown as the world's largest airliner when the 525-seat Airbus A380 was unveiled in 2005. But at 19 feet longer than its predecessors, this one will be the longest.
  • The 747-8 - listed at $US317.5 million - also boasts new wings, a new tail, state-of-the-art engines and a new cockpit, making it, according to specialist magazine Flight International, 'unrecognizable from that first jumbo jetliner.'
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental's cabin, featuring larger windows and new lighting, is displayed in a mock up of seats and a table.
  • The unveiling comes almost 42 years to the day since the maiden flight of the 747, which went on to become the world's most recognized jetliner and transformed the global travel industry.
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental will seat 467 passengers, 51 more than the current version of the 747, and burn less fuel while offering passengers more comfort, the US planemaker says.
  • Sunday's rollout, in front of a crowd of almost 10,000 Boeing employees, their families and a select group of industry VIPs, took place at the same Everett plant outside Seattle.
  • It is the first appearance of a radically new version of the passenger jet since the first jumbo, with its humped two-storey cabin and 69-metre wingspan, took the world's breath away on a sunny morning at Everett in September 1968.
  • The first delivery will be to an unnamed VIP customer instead of an airline late this year. Boeing says the first 747-8 that the public will get to fly on will be delivered to Germany's Lufthansa in 2012.
  • A mock up of a berth on the plane's upper deck.
  • The GE engine of the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.
  • A crowd of attendees examines a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the company's newest and largest passenger plane.
  • The 747-8 Intercontinental will seat 467 passengers, 51 more than the current version of the 747, and burn less fuel while offering passengers more comfort, the US planemaker says.
  • A crowd of attendees examines a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the company's newest and largest passenger plane.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • A Boeing 747-8 during its construction at Boeing's Everett factory.
  • The cargo version of the plane, the Boeing 747-8 Freighter made its first flight in February 2010.
  • With an observation plane nearby, the Boeing 747-8 Freighter, left, makes its first flight.
  • Engines on the Boeing 747-8 Freighter are started just prior to the plane's first flight.
  • Boeing says the 747-8 Intercontinental will offer airlines the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large passenger plane.
  • The 747-8's entryway features a concierge station, which converts into an in-flight destination where passengers can mingle during the cruise portion of the flight.
  • Boeing says the architecture in the 747-8 will be accentuated by lighting technology that provides smooth transitions for a more restful flight.
  • Interior of the Boeing 747-8.
  • The 747-8 incorporates features from the 787 Dreamliner, including a new curved, upswept architecture designed to give passengers a greater sense of space and comfort.
  • Boeing launched the 747-8 plane on November 14, 2005, with firm orders for 18 747-8 Freighters.
  • The legendary 747 family has been in the air since 1969 and is Boeing's biggest and most recognizable commercial plane. The new model serves the 400- to 500-seat market between the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777-300.
  • Boeing Business Jets's design concept for the 747-8 VIP jet. A dining area with a spiral staircase and vaulted ceilings.
  • Boeing Business Jets's design concept for the 747-8 VIP plane. View from the top of the spiral staircase, showing the dining area and a ladder extending to library shelves.
  • The 747-8 door-two entryway features a dramatic sweeping staircase leading to the upper deck.
  • Boeing completed major assembly of the first set of wings for the 747-8 in April. The new 41.2 metre wings incorporate the latest aerodynamic technologies to fly farther and more efficiently.
  • The 747-8 will be stretched 5.6 meters from the 747-400 to provide 467 seats in a three-class configuration and a range of approximately 14,815 kilometres.
  • Boeing has 105 orders for 747-8s on its books at list prices between US$293 million (A$339 million) and US$308 million (A$356 million).
  • The 747-8 Freighter is set for delivery in the third quarter of 2010, while the 747-8 Intercontinental, which is the passenger version, is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2011.
  • Boeing 747-8 Freighter jets under construction.
  • Boeing highlights that this latest fuel-efficient version of its popular jumbo jet is the only large plane that fits existing airport infrastructure.

Tags: 747 aviation news boeing jumbo