Atlas Air Places Billion Dollar Boeing 747 Order
A Boeing 747-8 InterContinental in Lufthansa livery
Atlas Air announced that it ordered four new Boeing 747-8F Freighters the order is valued at approximately $1.5 billion at current list prices.
Cathay had previously placed an order with Boeing for three 747-8 Freighters last March. That order, which included options for five additional 777 Freighters, was valued at approximately $1 billion as well.
“The 747-8F is the best and most versatile wide-body freighter in the market,” said John Dietrich, Atlas’ CEO.
Atlas Air currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 117 aircraft including four 747-400s, 29 747-400Fs, and ten 747-8Fs.
The cargo airline also operates four 747 Dreamlifters, also known as the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter or LCF, an extensively modified 747-400 that can carry three times as much cargo as a standard 747-400F. The Dreamlifter is primarily used to transport Boeing 787 Dreamliner components to Boeing plants across the globe.
The 747-8 Freighter is 250’ 2” (76.3 meters) long, which is 18’ 4” (5.6 meters) longer than its predecessor, the 747-400 Freighter. The aircraft also offers a 16% increase in cargo space when compared to the 747-700 Freighter, and has a range of 4,390 nautical miles (8,130 kilometers).
The first 747-8F Freighterperformed its maiden flight on February 8, 2010, followed by the passenger version, the 747-8I Intercontinental, on March 20, 2011.
Unless plans change, the four 747s ordered by Atlas will be the final four to be produced by Boeing.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
