End Near For 747-400 Line

[Naim 6]

End of a glorious era, I must say.

 

.ny

 

+++

 

End Near For 747-400 Line As Boeing Eyes -8 Milestones

By Adrian Schofield

05/05/2006 09:36:40 AM

 

As Boeing works to lock in the final configuration for its new 747-8 aircraft this year, the airframer is also preparing to wind down production on its long-serving 747-400.

 

Boeing now has fewer than five open production slots left for the remainder of the -400 program, said 747 program head Jeff Peace. Some -400s will still be built while -8s are being produced for flight testing, but the first delivery of the -8 will mark the cutoff for the -400s, Peace said. The current backlog for -400s is 42 aircraft -- all freighters.

 

Entry into service for the freighter version of the -8 is scheduled in late 2009, with the passenger version -- dubbed the Intercontinental -- following about six months later. Major assembly will begin on the freighter in early 2008, with the first flight slated for the end of that year.

 

Peace noted that this is the first time Boeing will debut a freighter version of an aircraft before the passenger variant. All of the 18 orders for the -8 so far have been for the freighter, from Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines. The company wants to sign at least two customers for the passenger version this year (DAILY, May 4). Peace said Boeing is not contemplating a further stretched or extended-range version of the -8. "Right now I don't see the combination of technology and demand that would justify" additional versions, he said.

 

Boeing still has some decisions to make before final configuration is set. For example, it is still evaluating whether it will be worthwhile to extend fly-by-wire technology to the outboard ailerons. After the final configuration is set, Boeing engineers will begin working on detailed designs. Also this year, the company must select the rest of the component suppliers for the -8. Some important deals have already been signed, but Boeing "still has a way to go" on others, said Peace.

 

Apart from the increased length of the -8, one of the biggest changes is in the wing. The -8 will have a thicker wing than the -400, and other improvements mean that "aerodynamically it is an all-new wing," Peace said. Better aerodynamic performance will be achieved despite the fact that Boeing is dropping the triple-slotted flaps used on the -400 and instead will use a combination of single and double-slotted flaps. The thicker wing also means greater fuel capacity.

 

The biggest selling point, however, will be better fuel efficiency and trip costs. Boeing calculates the -8F will use more than 17% less fuel per metric ton than the -400F. The new engines contribute the biggest saving, followed by improved aerodynamics and the use of advanced materials. Trip cost will be about the same for the -8F despite its larger size, and metric ton-mile costs will be down 15%.

 

Boeing's main philosophy for the -8 freighter was to keep the range about the same as for the -400F but increase the cargo capacity by 16% through an 18.3-foot stretch. However, airlines can opt to sacrifice some of the extra payload for more range. So carriers could boost capacity by 20 metric tons to 134 ton while keeping range the same as the -400F's, or they could keep payload at about 114 metric tons and fly 1,000 nautical miles farther. By dropping capacity to about 100 metric tons, carriers could eliminate the Anchorage tech stop on some U.S.-Asia routes, said Peace.

 

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/chan...ws/74405056.xml

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[Azuddin 1]

that is sad to hear , but i hope the new sister flagship will continue the glorious legacy.

[Andrew Ong 1]

The 744 had now ended its production :cray:

 

747-400 passenger jet is no more

But orders for different versions of plane will keep Boeing busy

 

By JAMES WALLACE

P-I AEROSPACE REPORTER

 

After a production run of more than 450 planes, The Boeing Co. has built its final 747-400 passenger jet.

 

The last four planes still on the company's order books have been removed in a hush-hush deal that saw Philippine Airlines switch its order to the 777.

 

Those two 777-300ERs for Philippine Airlines were among 46 new jetliners that Boeing added to its 2007 order tally Thursday, including 26 787 Dreamliners. At list prices, those 46 planes are worth about $9 billion. But customers typically get discounts of 25 percent or more off the sticker price.

 

Although Boeing will not build any more 747-400 passenger planes, it's hardly the end of the line for the 747.

 

Already in development is the bigger and more efficient 747-8 freighter and a passenger version, the 747-8 Intercontinental. Boeing has 84 firm orders for the 747-8, including 20 Intercontinentals ordered by Lufthansa.

 

The freighter will enter service in 2009, followed by the Intercontinental in 2010.

 

And even before Boeing begins building the 747-8, it still has 36 other 747-400 freighter orders to fill.

 

It's been clear for some time that the production of the 747-400 passenger plane was over. No customer has ordered the jet since China Airlines in November 2002. The last 747-400 passenger plane was delivered to the airline in April 2005.

 

But until Thursday, Boeing had continued to carry four remaining 747-400 passenger jets on its books. Boeing would not confirm that the four jets were among seven ordered by Philippine Airlines in 1993, but people with knowledge of the matter said those were the same planes.

 

The 747-400, which has sold more than any other model of Boeing's venerable jumbo jet, entered commercial service in 1989 with Northwest Airlines, which along with United are the only two U.S. airlines that still operate the passenger version.

 

Boeing later developed an extended range model, the 747-400ER. Boeing has 18 747-400ER freighters left to deliver, along with 18 747-400 freighters. Those jets will be a bridge to production of the 747-8. The Intercontinental will carry about 50 more passengers than the 416-seat 747-400. Both the 747-8 freighter and the Intercontinental will also have a new and more efficient wing, as well as the fuel-efficient General Electric engines that have been developed for the 787.

 

Although the 747-400 is the largest jetliner in commercial service, it won't be once the 555-passenger A380 from Airbus goes into service late this year with Singapore Airlines. Unlike the 747, which has only a short upper deck behind the cockpit, the A380 is a true double-decker jet.

 

The A380 will make its first appearance in the United States Monday, when one lands at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and another lands about the same time at Los Angeles International Airport. These are test flights. Airlines that have ordered the A380 are testing it under conditions similar to a commercial flight.

 

Boeing believes the 747-8 Intercontinental will appeal to airlines that need a plane that seats more than 400 passengers but fewer than the A380. But so far, only Lufthansa has ordered the 747-8 Intercontinental. An early matchup of the 747-8 Intercontinental and the A380 will be the decision later this year by British Airways. The airline is evaluating both jets for what could be a substantial order.

 

Although industry analysts say it's too soon to know if Boeing will persuade many current 747 operators to order the 747-8 Intercontinental, cargo operators have already made it clear they like the 747-8 freighter.

 

Boeing said Thursday it won six more orders for the 747-8 freighter, though it did not identify the customers. Boeing now has 60 orders for the freighter. Airbus does not have a large freighter and it recently delayed development of the A380 freighter after customers FedEx and UPS canceled their orders.

 

UPS could turn to Boeing's 747-8 freighter.

 

In addition to the six new 747-8 orders, Boeing announced orders for six 777-300ERs and 15 787-9s from unidentified customers. Those were in addition to the two 777s ordered by Philippine Airlines, five 787s ordered by Continental Airlines, six 737s ordered by Aviation Lease and Finance Co. of Kuwait, and six 787s also ordered by the leasing company.

 

That gives Boeing 116 firm orders so far in 2007.

 

Boeing is approaching 500 firm orders for the 787, which is scheduled to enter service in May 2008. Rollout of the first 787 is scheduled for July.

 

Meanwhile, Airbus is in line to receive some badly needed orders for its A350, which will compete against the 787 when it enters service in 2013.

 

Russian state flag carrier Aeroflot said Thursday it will order 22 A350s, while Qatar Airways said it is in talks with Airbus for up to 80 A350s.

 

The Russian airline had a preliminary agreement to order the 787 from Boeing, but final contract talks fell apart earlier this year because of political tensions between the U.S. and Russia.

 

Qatar Airways had announced two years ago at the Paris Air Show that it planned to buy 60 A350s. It never signed a firm contract with Airbus because the A350 was redesigned to make it more competitive with the 787. Qatar said it is in talks with Airbus for not only those 60 A350s but for 20 more. An announcement could be made in June at the Paris Air Show.

 

Link:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/307716_boeing16.html

[Hakan 2]

really interesting desicion from Boeing because of 747 is flagship of Boeing productions. Aviation history remembers a few airplane as milestone and two of them built up by Boeing which are B737 and B747. also B747 was only one weapon of Boeing against Airbus's A380. Last few years actually since begin A380 project Boeing was working development over 747X.

 

This is unexpected situation for Boeing, because 787 is not enough to make competition with Airbus new projects.

[Alif A. F. 0]

I guess the latest passenger derivative, the 744ER doesn't sell pretty well on the market huh?

[BC Tam 2]

really interesting desicion from Boeing because of 747 is flagship of Boeing productions. Aviation history remembers a few airplane as milestone and two of them built up by Boeing which are B737 and B747. also B747 was only one weapon of Boeing against Airbus's A380. Last few years actually since begin A380 project Boeing was working development over 747X.

 

This is unexpected situation for Boeing, because 787 is not enough to make competition with Airbus new projects.

Hakan,

The 747 legacy lives on in form of the 747-8. The 747-8 will be the 'weapon' vs the A380, though not directly as mentioned previously

They have now stopped making the 747-400, in much the same way they stopped manufacturing the 747-300 when the 747-400 came available, and when the 747-1/200 models made way for the 747-300 - sort of like evolution of the species !

[BC Tam 2]

I guess the latest passenger derivative, the 744ER doesn't sell pretty well on the market huh?

My guess would be the advantages, both technological and economics, over the 'baseline' 744 were not sufficiently exciting to the airlines for them to turnover their fleets with the new model. Similarly, the 743 did not sell well either as a replacement for the 742. But when they offered the 744, well, history is there for all to see ............

[Mohd Idham 0]

Queen will always be a queen...

[Sherman 0]

just took an-off-topic as example. Kancil. when the second model roll out, the first model (the square frount light) also stop production. i guess both of this use the same theory rite? <_>

[TW Teo 0]

It's purely academic. Why build something that has no orders since 2002?