Lufthansa muestra su primer Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

Lutfhansa será la primera compañía que ponga en vuelo el nuevo Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, del que ha encargado 20 unidades. El primer ejemplar ya se ha pintado en la fábrica que Boeing tiene en Everett (EEUU). La previsión es que realice el primer vuelo en noviembre y que su explotacón comercial empiece durante la primevera de 2012. El 747-8 está equipado con motores GEnx-2B67, lo cual, unido a las modificaciones aerodinámicas que incorpora debe reducir el consumo un 13% en relación a su predecesor, el 747-400.

Este es el comunicado de Lutfhansa en inglés:

The new jumbo leaves Boeing’s paint shop with the flying crane emblem on its tailfin

The first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental emerged from the paint hangar at Boeing’s Everett factory near Seattle last evening resplendent in the Lufthansa livery. The fuselage is painted in the classic Lufthansa White, while the tailfin and the Lufthansa logo on the fuselage are painted in Night Blue. The Lufthansa emblem on the tailfin – an encircled crane in flight – is offset in Night Blue against a Melon Yellow background.

After completing extensive ground tests, the aircraft will undergo initial test flights in November, and is scheduled to go into service next spring with the registration D-ABYA. Lufthansa is the launch customer for the passenger version of the Boeing 747-8 and has therefore been involved from the outset in the design of the aircraft.

The Boeing 747-8 has been stretched by six metres compared with the Boeing 747-400. The new Jumbo measures 76.3 metres in length, making it the world’s longest passenger airliner.

The Boeing 747-8 is also setting new standards in terms of sustainability. For example, the redesigned wings with their state-of-the-art profile and ranked wingtips give the aircraft an aerodynamic advantage. In addition, the newly developed GEnx-2B67 engines offer greater fuel efficiency as well as reduced emissions and noise levels. The Boeing 747-8 consumes 13 per cent less fuel than the Boeing 747-400.

Lufthansa has ordered 20 Boeing 747-8s, which are due for delivery from the beginning of 2012 through to mid-2015, and also has options on a further 20 aircraft.

747-8 I vs. 747-400

	747-8 I	747-400
Length	76,3 m	70,7 m
Wingspan	68,7 m	64,4 m
Height	19,4 m	19,4 m
Wing Area	554 m²	525 m²
Fuel capacity	242 000 l	216 000 l
Cruising speed	Mach 0,85	Mach 0,85
Maximum start weight	442 to	395 to