747 eight series arrives with Cathay and British Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways has begun to receive the first of its new fleet of Boeing 747-8 freighters, technically the maiden passenger airline to begin flying the largest ever Boeing, but in fact second after specialist carrier Cargolux.  At the present time Cathay does not have the all-seater version on order.  The airline will receive a total of 10 of the new-generation aircraft – the world’s largest commercial air freighter – with four being delivered by the end of this year.

Late last week British Airways also took delivery of what is the world’s largest air freighter, Global Supply Systems (GSS) a 51% British company acting on behalf of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc (49%).  GSS will operate the new freighter for British Airways World Cargo through a five-year wet-lease agreement.

The Boeing 747-8F employs innovative technologies to bring about significant efficiency improvements.  These include a high-lift, low-drag wing that enhances payload and range performance, a simplified flap system to reduce noise and maintenance costs, and the breakthrough GEnx engine. www.gssair.co.uk www.boeing.com/commercial

Index/Home page
 

OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum