US aerospace giant Boeing's newest and biggest jumbo jet, the 747-8 Intercontinental, made its maiden flight yesterday, watched closely by aviation fans and European rival Airbus.
The new version of the classic double-decker 747 took off into nearly cloudless skies yesterday afternoon from the Paine Field airport near Boeing's Seattle headquarters, watched by thousands of workers and guests.
The red, white and orange-liveried aircraft landed just over four hours later having been taken through its paces over Washington state, on the northwest Pacific coast.
Boeing's largest passenger plane, the 747-8 can carry 467 passengers in a three-class configuration and is designed for long-haul routes - with a range of 8,000 nautical miles (14,815 km) it can fly direct from New York to Hong Kong, or Los Angeles to Mumbai, or London to Singapore.
The plane is a longer and more fuel-efficient update of Boeing's double-decker 747 jumbo jet, and will compete with European rival Airbus's A380, the world's biggest passenger plane.
The double-deck A380 entered service in 2007 and can carry 525 passengers in the same configuration. Boeing insists the 747-8 is not a rival to the A380, but complementary to it - noting that both Lufthansa and Korean Air have ordered both.
The 747-8 - the world's longest aircraft at 76.4 metres (250 feet) - was unveiled to the public in February, six years after the project was announced in 2005, and roughly two years behind schedule.
The new aircraft now has to undergo over 600 hours of test flight, to be ready be certified at the end of the year. Using 787 Dreamliner engine technology, Boeing says its new aircraft will achieve better fuel economy than any competing jetliner. Compared with the A380 the new plane's per seat-mile costs are more than 6% lower, it said.
The first 747-8 is due to be delivered to an as-year-unidentified customer - although it is not an airline - in late 2011. Lufthansa, which has ordered 20, is expected to be the first airline to receive the new model in early 2012, Boeing said last month.
To date, the 747-8 programme has garnered a relatively modest 114 orders, only 38 of which are for the passenger version - including an order for five from Air China which is still awaiting a government green light.
Luxembourg's Cargolux is scheduled to take delivery of the first 747-8 freighter in the middle of this year - out of 76 cargo versions so far ordered - nearly two years later than the original target delivery date.
