EVERETT — Korean Air on Tuesday became the first airline to receive the passenger and freighter versions of Boeing’s 747-8.
Boeing handed over a new 747-8 Intercontinental, the passenger version, to the Korean carrier at a ceremony in Everett. The airline has nine more on order, and it already flies seven 747-8 freighters.
The 747-8 is the latest iteration of the world’s first jumbo jet. Despite its iconic status and its reputation as the ‘Queen of the Skies,’ Boeing has only received a trickle of orders for the 747-8. In all, 123 planes have been ordered since 2005 — 51 passenger versions and 72 freighters.
No passenger versions have been ordered since 2013, when orders for 11 were placed. Since 2010, 20 747-8Is have been ordered.
There has been a little more demand for the freighter version, with orders for four planes placed this year. Since 2011, 16 freighters have been ordered. Boeing received no freighter orders from 2008 to 2010, when the global recession brought down the air cargo market.
“This new aircraft delivers better fuel economy,” said Walter Cho, an executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Korean Air. “That is important to a global airline such as ours. And it supports our goal to build and operate a first-class fleet of world-class aircraft.”
The 747-8 has a range of 7,730 nautical miles (14,310 km) and offers 16 percent savings in fuel consumption and emissions over its predecessor, the 747-400, while generating 30 percent less noise, according to Boeing.
Korean Air’s jet is configured with 368 seats, which include first class suites with sliding doors, partitions to provide privacy and 24-inch high-definition monitors.
The airline has 161 aircraft, including 87 Boeing passenger airplanes and an all-Boeing cargo fleet of 28 747-400, 747-8 and 777 freighters.
Korean Air’s Aerospace Division supplies the raked wing-tips for the 747-8 and 787, and are one of two producers of the 737 MAX Advanced Technology Winglet.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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