After a month of holding it hostage, the Europeans finally cut the ribbon.
Boeing 747-8F
Added to Aviation by Richard.stokoe on Saturday 5th November 2011
It's been a busy time for the commercial arm of aerospace manufacturer, Boeing. This month they've delivered two new aircraft. The first out the door was the 747-8F.
Back in September, Cargolux were supposed to take delivery of the very first 747-8F but due to a contract issue the hand-over ceremony and the delivery were postponed.
So what happened next?
Well, Randy Tinseth, the Vice President, Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle, said:
I'm happy to announce that we've resolved the contractual issues that delayed the first delivery of our new 747-8 Freighter last month. I'm even happier to let you know that Cargolux will take delivery of their first freighter today (October 12). On Thursday [October 13th], Cargolux will take delivery of its second 747-8F.
Even though we had to wait a bit longer than expected, it doesn't make these deliveries any less sweet. We know Cargolux and every customer after them will love this airplane in every way - from how it flies to how it performs.
I'd like to personally congratulate every employee who had a hand in working on this beautiful new symbol of Boeing. We all look forward to seeing it take to the sky as an official member of the Cargolux fleet.
Here's the Cargolux crew waggling their wings as they left Boeing's Paine Field:
Cargolux smartly put their first new cargo aircraft into immediate revenue service and hopped to Seattle-Tacoma International (just 35 miles South) after taking delivery to pick up cargo before heading to their home base in Luxembourg.
The second Cargolux 747-8F, delivered the next day, took a much more direct route "home".
Since these first deliveries to Cargolux, Atlas Air and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific have also received their first examples of the 747-8 Freighter.
The future looks bright for Boeing's new Jumbo, even if there are still problems with missing performance targets. Regardless of the missed target, the 747-8F is still the most efficient freighter in the skies today and Boeing is planning new improvements to make it even better.
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