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747-400 passenger jet is no more



 
 
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Old March 17th 07, 04:25 PM posted to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation
J.F.
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Default 747-400 passenger jet is no more

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.

P-I aerospace reporter James Wallace can be reached at 206-448-8040 or
.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine..._boeing16.html



 




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