An Eye Toward the Future
The 747's future is as bright as its past is legendary. In November 2005, Boeing launched the next-generation 747, called the 747-8, with Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
The 747-8 family includes the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane and the 747-8 Freighter.
The 747-8 combines even greater capacity with 787 engine technology -- the most advanced commercial airplane propulsion technology in the world -- for quieter airplanes that produce lower emissions, achieve better fuel economy than any competing jetliner, and fly faster -- at .86 Mach -- than any other jetliner.
The 747-8 Intercontinental is the only jetliner in the 400- to 500-seat market. Airlines benefit from the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large passenger or freighter airplane.