The first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental emerged from the paint hangar at Boeing’s Everett factory near Seattle last evening resplendent in the Lufthansa livery. The fuselage is painted in the classic Lufthansa White, while the tailfin and the Lufthansa logo on the fuselage are painted in Night Blue. The Lufthansa emblem on the tailfin - an encircled crane in flight - is offset in Night Blue against a Melon Yellow background.

After completing extensive ground tests, the aircraft will undergo initial test flights in November, and is scheduled to go into service next spring with the registration D-ABYA. Lufthansa is the launch customer for the passenger version of the Boeing 747-8 and has therefore been involved from the outset in the design of the aircraft.

The Boeing 747-8 has been stretched by six metres compared with the Boeing 747-400. The new Jumbo measures 76.3 metres in length, making it the world’s longest passenger airliner.

The Boeing 747-8 is also setting new standards in terms of sustainability. For example, the redesigned wings with their state-of-the-art profile and ranked wingtips give the aircraft an aerodynamic advantage. In addition, the newly developed GEnx-2B67 engines offer greater fuel efficiency as well as reduced emissions and noise levels. The Boeing 747-8 consumes 13 per cent less fuel than the Boeing 747-400.

Lufthansa has ordered 20 Boeing 747-8s, which are due for delivery from the beginning of 2012 through to mid-2015, and also has options on a further 20 aircraft.

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