JUMBO ACHIEVEMENT

       While Dreamliner delays hog the headlines, the next generation of Boeing's iconic 747 is nearing completion on schedule. By Boonsong Kositchotethana in Everett, Washington
       Unlike its smaller sibling, the delayed B787"Dreamliner"jetliner, Boeing's new and enlarged B747 jumbo jet has moved to an advanced stage of development.
       All indications suggest the B747-8,the latest edition of the iconic aircraft that was first rolled out in 1968, will be airborne by the end of this year.
       Assembly of the first three jumbos,all in the freighter version, has progressed well with one aircraft more than 90%complete and the others 80% and 65%complete.
       Boeing plans to take the three planes to the skies in November and December for test flights that should revive the jet programme after its false starts and raise the aircraft's sales prospects, which have been slow.
       Boeing now aims to have the first jumbo cargo plane, known as the B747-8F, in commercial service in the third quarter of next year. The delivery of the first passenger version of B747-8 is scheduled in the second half of 2011.
       The B747-8 would "absolutely not"face delays like the highly anticipated long-haul 787, Elgin Anderson, regional director for product marketing at Boeing,said at a briefing.
       "This is a derivative plane. We knew how to build this and we have already built it," he said."The system is very much the same but upgraded."
       Delivery of Boeing's much-delayed 787 Dreamliner plane to its Japanese launch customer ANA has now been put off to late 2010, more than a year behind the original schedule. Boeing said the revised timetable reflected a previously announced need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft, as well as a few weeks for cutting flight test and certification risk.
       Boeing's largest ever aircraft has had a lukewarm response from airlines compared with the Airbus A380, a full-length double-deck aircraft now in service,which B747-8 has been pitching against.
       Despite of the B747-8's new features,Boeing has so far received orders for only 105 from 11 buyers, while the A380 superjumbo has secured 200 orders from 16 customers, including Thai Airways International.
       The bulk of orders for the new Boeing jumbo are for the B747-8F freighter version - which has 78 orders - while the passenger model has attracted only two buyers. Orders for the 747-8 freighter came from Cargolux, Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air.
       Germany's Lufthansa is the only airliner to book the B747-8- with an order for 20 units - while Boeing Business Jet, a 50:50 partnership between Boeing Commercial Airplanes and General Electric, has booked seven.
       While Dr Anderson is optimistic of more orders for the B747-8, he admits short-term prospects are poor, as airlines have cut capacity and stopped buying planes in the global aviation downturn.
       "I think once this plane is flying the industry will see how capable and valuable the B747-8 is," he said."If we could get one or two major airlines interested,the rest would follow."
       Boeing has been in talks with several airlines operating older versions of the B747 on replacing them with the newgeneration aircraft, he added.
       In its latest projection, the company expects airlines to need 740 new very large capacity aircraft with 400 or more seats between now and 2028, with a total value of US$220 billion.
       Boeing would not specify how many new jumbo jets it targets to sell in the next 19 years, but it said this market segment would be shared by the existing two flying giants - the A380 and B747-8.
       Industry analysts believe Boeing could sell about 400 of the new jumbos within 15 years or so.
       While the 747-8 is not an all-new aircraft, Boeing believes the new version is refreshed enough to attract some airlines tempted by the A380.
       In addition, some carriers could delay purchasing the European-made megajet because only a score of airports can handle its size, whereas most international airports are equipped for the 747.
       Boeing also sees fewer long-haul routes with dense traffic that would allow the A380 to operate economically.
       Both the B747-8 and B747-8F are 5.6 metres longer than the current 747-400.At 76.3 metres, they will be the longest commercial jets when they enter operation. The A380 is 73 metres long.
       The extra length provides 51 more seats and 26% more cargo space in the passenger version - compared with the B747-400 it is replacing - while the B747-8F has 16% more cargo volume than its predecessor.
       The B747-8 seats 467 passengers in three-class configuration, compared with 525 in the A380, while the B747-8 freighter can carry up to 134 tonnes and 858 cubic metres in terms of volume.
       The B747-8 has completely new wings with a raked tip design and new fuelefficient General Electric engines built around the same technology as the Dreamliner engines. It also has new composite materials, upgraded flight-deck avionics and a futuristic passenger cabin based on the 787 interior.
       Boeing said the new jumbo is 16%more fuel efficient, producing 16% fewer carbon emissions, and is 30% quieter than its predecessor.
       The passenger version can fly more than 14,815 kilometres non-stop while the freighter can cover 8,130 km.
       More than 1,400 B747s have entered service. The A380, on the other hand,made its first commercial flight on Oct 25,2007 from Singapore to Sydney with Singapore Airlines. There are now three A380 operators including Emirates and Qantas. The current price tag of a B747-8 is $300 million versus $327 million for the rival A380.