Boeing: Jumbo milestone
11-Nov-2013 For anyone who loves the Queen of the Skies, here's a milestone we can all cheer. The 747 program has kicked off production of its 1,500th airplane. The milestone airplane, a 747-8 Intercontinental, is scheduled to roll out of the factory in the second quarter of next year for delivery to Lufthansa.
747 employees load the rear wing spar into the assembly tool, which is the first step in the major assembly process of a commercial airplane. Gail Hanusa photo.
Employees sign a special banner that commemorates the journey of the 747 to line number 1,500. Gail Hanusa photo.
The 747 has been built in our Everett factory since the first program employees arrived in 1967. Over the years, the airplane has been produced in a number of passenger and freighter configurations as well as government, military and other variants- including the Dreamlifter, Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and Air Force One.
The 747-8 Intercontinental.
The 747-8 Freighter.
I'm proud to have headed up the marketing and in-service support strategies when the new 747-8 first came on the scene, working closely with our customer base. And today, I have the privilege of talking about where this airplane can take our customers and their passengers in the future.
Here's me posing with a 747-8 on a helipad in Sao Paulo.
Take a few minutes to watch this video that shows why this airplane is the true definition of a "flagship."