NEW YORK: US aerospace giant Boeing's newest and biggest jumbo jet, the 747-8 Intercontinental, made its first flight on Sunday near its headquarters in Seattle. The new version of Boeing's classic double-decker 747 took off at 9:58 am (16:58 GMT) from the Paine Field air in Everett, Washington state, in a ceremony attended by thousands of workers and guests. Boeing's largest passenger plane, the 747-8 can carry 467 passengers in a three-class configuration and is designed for long-haul routes. The plane is a longer and more fuel-efficient update of Boeing's double-decker 747 jumbo jets and will compete with European rival Airbus's A380, the world's biggest passenger plane. The double-deck A380 entered service in 2007 and can carry 525 passengers in the same configuration. Using 787 Dreamliner engine technology, Boeing says its new aircraft will achieve better fuel economy than any competing jetliner. Compared with the A380 the new planes per seat-mile costs are more than six percent lower, it said. Lufthansa, which has ordered 20, is expected to be the first customer to receive the new model in early 2012, Boeing said last month. When the order was announced in 2006, the German airline expected first delivery in 2010. To date, the 747-8 program has garnered 107 orders: 33 for the passenger planes and 74 for the cargo version. Luxembourg's Cargolux is scheduled to take delivery of the first 747-8 freighter in the middle of this year, nearly two years later than the original target delivery date.
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