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| Boeing 747-8 | |
|---|---|
 A Lufthansa 747-8I painted in 1970s heritage livery seen at Frankfurt International Airport in 2018. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Wide-body jet airliner |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Commercial Airplanes |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | UPS Airlines |
| Number built | 155 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2008–2023 |
| Introduction date | 747-8F: October 12, 2011, with Cargolux 747-8I: June 1, 2012, with Lufthansa |
| First flight | 747-8F: February 8, 2010 747-8I: March 20, 2011 |
| Developed from | Boeing 747-400 |
| Variants | Boeing VC-25B Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) |
The Boeing 747-8 is the final series of the large, long-range wide-body airliners in the Boeing 747 family from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the largest model variant of the 747 and Boeing's largest aircraft overall. Following the introduction of the 747-400, Boeing explored larger 747 versions as potential competitors to the proposed double-deck Airbus A3XX, later developed as the Airbus A380. The stretched aircraft, initially called the 747 Advanced was officially launched as the 747-8 on November 14, 2005, with the designation reflecting its technological ties to the 787 Dreamliner. At the time, Boeing forecasted a market of 300 aircraft.
The 747-8's maiden flight was made by the freighter version, the 747-8F, on February 8, 2010, followed by the passenger version, the 747-8I Intercontinental, on March 20, 2011. The freighter version was delivered in October 2011, and the passenger variant entered commercial service in June 2012.
The aircraft's fuselage was stretched by 18 feet (5.5 m), reaching a total length of 250 feet (76 m), making it the longest airliner in service until the debut of the 777X in 2020. While retaining the basic structural design and wing sweep of its predecessors, the 747-8 features a deeper and thicker wing, allowing for greater fuel capacity, and larger raked wingtips for improved aerodynamics. It is powered by a more efficient, smaller version of the General Electric GEnx turbofan engine from the 787 Dreamliner. As a result, its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) increases to 975,000 pounds (442 t), making the 747-8 the heaviest Boeing airliner.
The Freighter version, with a shorter upper deck, can haul 308,000 pounds (140 t) over 4,120 nautical miles [nmi] (7,630 km; 4,740 mi). The Intercontinental version can carry 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration with a range of 7,790 nautical miles (14,430 km; 8,960 mi). A total of 155 aircraft were built including 107 freighters and 48 passenger airliners. The final aircraft, a 747-8F, was delivered to Atlas Air on January 31, 2023.