Bangkok--10 May--Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA
] today will hold a media briefing on the 747-8 family in Bangkok, providing details about the new airplane and its place in the company’s 100- to 450-seat strategy.
Speaking will be Randy Tinseth, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president — Sales, Marketing and In-Service Support, 747 Program.
“Our product strategy is focused on the 100- to 450-seat market, with the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane serving the high end of that market between the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A380,” Tinseth said.
The 747-8 is included in the Current Market Outlook (CMO) issued by Boeing Commercial Airplanes last March. The CMO includes a forecast for the Asia-Pacific region of about 7,200 new airplanes worth $770 billion over the next 20 years. Of those deliveries, Boeing predicts 510 units will be for airplanes 747-size and larger. During the forecast period, Asia-Pacific will remain the largest market outside North America for new commercial airplanes.
Boeing launched the 747-8 family — the Intercontinental passenger version and Freighter — in November 2005 with an order for ten 747-8 Freighters from Cargolux Airlines and eight 747-8 Freighters from Nippon Cargo Airlines.
Tinseth said Boeing is continuing discussions with customers about the 450-seat Intercontinental and expects to receive the first passenger order this year. Boeing recently released the first engineering drawing for the 747-8 and is on schedule to achieve firm configuration in October. Rollout and first flight of the first 747-8, a freighter for Cargolux, are planned for 2008, with certification and entry into service in 2009.
The 747-8 Intercontinental and Freighter offer airlines the benefits of increased profitability, including the best economics in the large-airplane class and lower operating cost. The 747-8 incorporates breakthrough technologies and materials from the 787 Dreamliner, including the new 787 engine; as well as new 747-8 wing and aerodynamic designs, all of which contribute to lower fuel burn and make the airplane the all-time quietest jumbo jet. The new 747 will also provide greater fuel efficiency and improved operating economics while reducing noise and emissions in the communities where it operates.
THAI’s current fleet of 91 airplanes, the majority of which are Boeing airplanes, includes 18 747-400s and two 747-300s.
Contacts: Leslie Hazzard, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Seattle, +1 (425) 342-0447 (office); +1 (206) 856-7257 (mobile), [email protected]
Juraikarn Trakulvech, Ogilvy PR, Bangkok, +66 (2) 205-6611, [email protected]