Overview
The Boeing 747-8 is the latest series of the large, long-range wide-body airliners in the Boeing 747 family from Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After introducing the 747-400, Boeing considered larger 747 versions as alternatives to the proposed double-deck Airbus A3XX, later developed as the A380.
The stretched 747 Advanced was launched as the on November 14, 2005, for a market forecast of 300 aircraft.
The first 747-8F Freighter performed its maiden flight on February 8, 2010, and the passenger 747-8I Intercontinental followed suit on March 20, 2011.
The cargo version was first delivered in October 2011 and the airliner began commercial service in June 2012.
Its fuselage is stretched by to , making it the longest airliner until the 777X, which first flew in 2020. While keeping its basic structure and sweep, the wing is thicker and deeper, holding more fuel, and wider with raked wingtips. Powered more efficiently than preceding 747s by a smaller version of the General Electric GEnx turbofan from the 787 Dreamliner, its maximum take-off weight (MTOW) grew to , the heaviest Boeing airliner.
The Freighter version has a shorter upper deck and can haul over .
The Intercontinental version can carry 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration over .
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