Description
Announced in 2005, this airliner is a new generation of the famous Boeing 747 series with a stretched fuselage, redesigned wings and improved cost efficiency. The 747-8 is the largest commercial aircraft built in the US and also the longest passenger aircraft in the world, exceeding the length of the Airbus A340-600 by almost a meter.
The first flight took place on February 8, 2010. The first operator of the cargo 747-8 was Cargolux Airlines, which received the first aircraft on October 13, 2011; Lufthansa became the first commercial owner of the passenger version on April 25, 2012 (the first private aircraft was delivered in February). As of November 2015, 121 Boeing 747-8s were ordered (42 passenger, 70 cargo and 9 VIP versions).