Cathay Pacific Airways has received the first of its Boeing 747-8 Freighters, becoming the second airline to begin receiving the delayed jumbo cargo jet, with B-LJE arriving in Hong Kong on November 1.
Cathay has ordered 10 of the new jets and will use them to gradually replace its 747-400BCFs. The 747-8F boasts 16 per cent more cargo space than the older jet, as well as better fuel efficiency and lower noise, according to Boeing.
Boeing is roughly two years behind schedule delivering both the cargo and passenger versions of the 747-8. On Monday, it announced that it had finished the flight testing required for FAA certification of the passenger version,the 747-8 Intercontinental, and hoped to begin delivery within the first quarter of 2012.
Boeing has already delivered two 747-8 Freighters to its launch customer, Cargolux. Through the end of September, it had taken orders for 111 passenger and cargo versions of the plane.
