747-8 Advanced

It may be an old design but it is a good one, much like the B-52. I am pleased to see the legacy live on.....faster and higher using less fuel. I believe this is the first time a cargo version of a civilian airliner has been ordered before the passenger version. It must have excellent pound per mile cost.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/248356_boeing15.html



Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Green light for bigger, faster 747
New lease on life as advanced version gets go-ahead

By JAMES WALLACE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER AEROSPACE REPORTER

After years of starts and stops about what to do next with its flagship 747, The Boeing Co. has finally given the go-ahead to develop an advanced version that will be bigger, faster and more quiet than the current model, Boeing announced Monday night.

The move represents a fresh lease on life for the 747, which is assembled at the company's Everett plant along with the 777, 767 and eventually the 787.

Just two years ago, it appeared that Boeing might have to end production of the 747 by 2007 because of slowing sales. But orders have picked up the last couple of years, and Boeing this year already has 21 orders for the 747-400, the current version of the jet.

The 747-8, also known as the 747 Advanced, would use the fuel-efficient engines under development for the 787 and would enter service in 2009, a year after the 787.

Boeing said it has won orders and options for as many as 34 of the 747-8 freighters from two launch customers -- Nippon Cargo Airlines of Japan and Luxembourg-based Cargolux. The 18 firm orders from the two cargo operator are worth about $5 billion, Boeing said.

"It's a good move," said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group, an industry consulting firm. "The business case for the A380 was already shaky, and this just makes it a little more shaky."

If nothing else, Aboulafia said, development of the 747-8 will keep pricing pressure on the A380 and will chip away at its market, especially for freighters.

The A380 is the superjumbo jetliner developed by Airbus that will enter service in December 2006 and will supplant the 747 as the world's biggest commercial jetliner. It can seat about 555 passengers, though most of the airlines that have ordered it will configure the double-decker for about 480 to 500 passengers. Airbus has 159 firm orders for its new big jet.

The 747-8 will be considerably smaller than the A380. Boeing has said before that it believes the A380 is too big, and the 747 Advanced would not compete against it.


"We think it (the 747-8) will be a big seller, but Boeing probably will sell more freighters than passenger planes," said Ned Laird, managing director of the Air Cargo Management Group, an aviation consulting and research firm in Seattle.

"It's a wonderful fit between a 380 and 747-400," he said.

As a freighter, the 747-8 may prove superior to the bigger A380, Laird said. The A380 has a lot of cargo volume, which is why it has been ordered by FedEx and UPS. They need the space for bulk cargo. But the 747 Advanced will be better for hauling heavyweight freight, Laird said.

The 747-8 would be able to carry 154 tons of cargo. The decision to go ahead with development of the 747-8 does not come as a surprise. Boeing has been saying for months that it has received strong interest in such a plane, especially as a freighter. James McNerney, Boeing's chairman and chief executive, had said last month that he expected the board to give the OK for the plane before the end of the year.

Cargolux said it would place firm orders for 10 747-8 freighters with 10 options, and Nippon Cargo Airlines for eight freighters and six options.

The chief executive of Nippon Cargo Airlines had told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in an interview in Japan in late May that he was "very interested" in the 747 Advanced freighter. Nippon Cargo operates 11 older 747-200s but recently took delivery of two 747-400 freighters. It is scheduled to receive one more in 2006 and another in 2007.

Executives with Cargolux have said for months the all-cargo carrier would order at least 10 747 Advanced freighters if Boeing developed the plane.

Boeing has said the 747 Advanced would also be developed as a passenger plane, although the company apparently does not yet have any firm order for that version. Singapore and Qantas airlines are among international carriers that Boeing has made proposals to for the 747 Advanced passenger plane. Both airlines have already ordered the Airbus A380 superjumbo.

Another potential customer for the passenger version is British Airways. Willie Welsh, the airline's chief executive, has said the A380 is too big and there are "question marks" surrounding its future. He has said the airline might be interested in the 747 Advanced.

The 747 Advanced would be the sixth major model of the 747 family, but the first with a longer fuselage -- 140 inches longer for the passenger plane and 220 inches longer for the freighter.

It has been 40 years since the 747-100 made its maiden flight, in February 1969. Airbus was born that May, when its original French and German partners signed an agreement creating the consortium.

During the last four decades, Boeing has sold 1,406 jumbo jets, the latest version of which is the extended range 747-400. But Boeing has not sold a 747-400 passenger model since China Airlines ordered four in November 2002. The 747-400 freighter, however, continues to sell, and Boeing had as many orders for it last year as Airbus had for the A380 -- 10.

Sales of the 747-400 freighter have been even stronger in 2005 after Boeing had said early in the year that it needed more order as a "bridge" to development of the 747 Advanced. Boeing has 21 747-400 freighter orders so far this year.

Boeing has been saying for some time that customers want a bigger 747 with improved economics, more range and quieter engines to meet the tough new noise regulations at airports such as London's Heathrow.

As a passenger plane, the 747 Advanced would carry up to 450 passengers, about 35 more than the 747-400, the current version of the jumbo. The range would be extended to about 8,000 nautical miles.

Both the advanced freighter and passenger 747s would have the fuel-efficient engines under development for the 787, although with a smaller-diameter fan. Boeing would substantially rework the 747 wing to improve the aerodynamics. Some lighter aluminum alloys might be used in places to cut down on weight.

"The 747-8 will use the technologies of the 787 Dreamliner to significantly increase the passenger and freighter capabilities of the 747 and offer greater fuel efficiency, improved operating economics, and be more friendly to the environment with reduced noise and emissions," said Boeing commercial airplanes boss Alan Mulally.

Both versions of the new 747 will feature GE's 787-technology GEnx engines.

Ulrich Ogiermann, president and CEO, Cargolux Airlines, said: "The Boeing 747-400 Freighter has been a cornerstone of our success, and I have high expectations that the 747-8 Freighter will build on that success and expand our capabilities worldwide.

"The increased payload capacity and much improved efficiency will allow us to continue our expansion and maximize our profitability. Equally important to us and the communities where we operate is the new standard the 747-8 Freighter will set in noise reduction."

Boeing forecasts the need for about 900 airplanes -- passengers and freighters -- in the 400-plus-seat segment over the next 20 years.

P-I aerospace reporter James Wallace

 

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Dash 8 huh....sounds like a good deal for the Seattle area and equally good deal for the people who build them. Congrats DJ...looks like y'all gonna be chasin it for a while.

 

It's going to be hoppin' around here for sure. I'm interested to see how much of the 777 will be incorporated along with the new tech from the 787. Many may look at this as a rehash but I think it will be much more than that. The numbers will tell the story....heck they already are. Good enough numbers to order freighters right away.

Nice to see the "old Boeing" back after a decade of complacency in the 90's.

 

A neat site showing features.

http://747.newairplane.com/