# Boeing 747-8
The **Boeing 747-8** is a four-engine wide-body airliner and freighter developed by Boeing as the largest and final variant of the 747 family, a significantly changed derivative of the 747-400 powered by GEnx-2B67 engines.[1](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/news/agency-has-issued-type-certificate-boeing-model-747-8-following-faa) It was produced in two versions, the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane and the 747-8 Freighter, and was the last 747 model built before production ended in 2023.[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Program launch | November 2005, by launch customers Cargolux Airlines and Nippon Cargo Airlines[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) |
| Engines | Four GEnx-2B67 high-bypass turbofans, the 787-derived GEnx engine adapted for the 747[1](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/news/agency-has-issued-type-certificate-boeing-model-747-8-following-faa) • [4](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/commercial/airports/acaps/747-8_Rev_D.pdf) |
| Certification | FAA certification December 14, 2011; EASA type certificate issued December 15, 2011[1](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/news/agency-has-issued-type-certificate-boeing-model-747-8-following-faa) |
| Cruise speed | Mach 0.845 for the Freighter and Mach 0.855 for the Intercontinental, higher than the 747-400 series[4](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/commercial/airports/acaps/747-8_Rev_D.pdf) |
| Freighter capability | 5.6 m (18.3 ft) longer than the 747-400F; 140 t (154 tons) maximum structural payload; 8,288 km (4,475 nmi) range; 16% more revenue cargo volume[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) |
| First deliveries | First 747-8 Freighter to Cargolux in late 2011; first 747-8 Intercontinental to Lufthansa on May 1, 2012[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) • [5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8) |
| End of production | Final 747 rolled out of the Everett factory December 6, 2022, and was delivered to Atlas Air on January 31, 2023, as the 1,574th 747 built[6](https://www.boeing.com/Commercial/airports/7478-airport-comp) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a) |
## Development
Boeing launched the 747-8 program in November 2005 with Cargolux Airlines and Nippon Cargo Airlines as launch customers, offering a passenger model, the 747-8 Intercontinental, and a cargo model, the 747-8 Freighter.[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) The designation 747-8 was chosen to show the technology connection between the new 747 and the 787 Dreamliner, whose technologies Boeing applied in the 747-8 family.[5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8)
**Firm configuration.** Boeing completed firm configuration of the 747-8 Freighter's design on October 31, 2006, after a year of trade studies with airline customers and suppliers, allowing detailed part and assembly design to begin.[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) Program vice president Dan Mooney stated the freighter was designed to deliver 14 percent lower ton-mile costs than the 747-400 Freighter.[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter) Both models gained improved fuel burn from an improved wing design and [General Electric](https://www.edgepedia.org/general-electric)'s new GEnx engines, which Boeing described as delivering greater fuel efficiency, engine durability, weight reduction, and lower operating costs than the engines they replaced.[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter)
The first 747-8 Freighter flew on February 8, 2010, on a test route over Western Washington at altitudes up to 17,000 feet and speeds up to 230 knots.[5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8) The 747-8 Intercontinental began its flight test program on March 20, 2011, taking off from Paine Field in [Everett, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/everett-washington), and landing four hours and 25 minutes later at Boeing Field.[5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8) On June 20, 2011, a 747-8 Freighter completed the first transatlantic flight of a large commercial airplane powered on all engines by sustainable aviation jet fuel, a blend of 15 percent camelina-based biofuel with 85 percent traditional [Jet A](https://www.edgepedia.org/jet-a) kerosene.[5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8)
## Design and performance
The 747-8 keeps many exterior dimensions of the 747-400, including tail height, engine span, and main landing gear post span, but its increased wingspan places it in ICAO airport design category F, a step above the Code E standards to which most of the world's major airports were built.[6](https://www.boeing.com/Commercial/airports/7478-airport-comp) Boeing worked with airports and civil aviation authorities worldwide, and with the [Airports Council International](https://www.edgepedia.org/airports-council-international)'s Boeing 747-8 Airport Compatibility Group, to develop operational guidance allowing the aircraft to serve airports not built to Code F specifications.[6](https://www.boeing.com/Commercial/airports/7478-airport-comp)
The new GEnx 2B engines, the quiet and efficient GEnx engines developed for the 787, together with wing changes and new raked wingtips, raised cruise speeds above the 747-400 series: Mach 0.845 for the Freighter and Mach 0.855 for the Intercontinental.[4](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/commercial/airports/acaps/747-8_Rev_D.pdf) The Lufthansa fleet documents list the aircraft at 76.30 m (250 ft 4 in) long, 68.40 m (224 ft 5 in) in wingspan, and 19.40 m (63 ft 8 in) tall.[7](https://www.lufthansa.com/content/dam/lh/documents/discover-lufthansa/lufthansa-fleet/74h/201812_B748_8f80c32e244B.pdf)
The freighter retains the nose-door loading capability preferred by cargo operators and holds seven additional standard pallets compared with the 747-400F, giving 16 percent more payload capacity and 16 percent more revenue cargo volume, including four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets.[2](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter)
## Certification and service entry
The FAA certified the 747-8 on December 14, 2011, and the [European Union Aviation Safety Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-union-aviation-safety-agency) issued its type certificate the next day, December 15, 2011, describing the airplane as a conventional transport category passenger airplane powered by four GEnx2B67 engines and a significantly changed derivative of the 747-400.[1](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/news/agency-has-issued-type-certificate-boeing-model-747-8-following-faa)
Cargolux, the launch customer, became the world's first operator of the 747-8F when the type joined its fleet in late 2011.[8](https://www.cargolux.com/about-us) The first passenger delivery went to [Lufthansa](https://www.edgepedia.org/lufthansa), whose first 747-8i departed Paine Field for Frankfurt, Germany, on May 1, 2012.[5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8) Lufthansa had collaborated with Boeing on developing the 747 line, from the 747-400 in the late 1980s to the 747-8 from 2012 onward.[9](https://www.lufthansa.com/mk/en/100-years/fleet)
**Ice crystal icing.** In November 2013 the FAA issued an airworthiness directive covering 747-8 and 747-8F airplanes powered by GEnx-2B67 or GEnx-2B67B engines, prompted by reports of engine damage and thrust loss in high-altitude ice crystal icing conditions. The directive required revised certificate limitations and operating procedures, including a prohibition on flight within 50 nautical miles of amber or red radar returns displayed below the airplane's flight path.[10](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2013-11-27/pdf/2013-28638.pdf) The airworthiness limitations for the type also require borescope inspection of high-pressure compressor blades after an engine rollback or thrust-related caution message in ice crystal icing conditions.[11](https://downloads.regulations.gov/FAA-2016-3702-0006/attachment_2.pdf)
## Operators and end of production
On December 6, 2022, the final 747 ever built rolled out of Boeing's Everett factory, ending a 54-year production run that began in 1967.[5](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8) The last aircraft, a 747-8 Freighter, was delivered to cargo carrier [Atlas Air](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlas-air) on January 31, 2023, in a ceremony attended by thousands of workers and by actor and pilot [John Travolta](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-travolta); it was the 1,574th 747 built in the [Puget Sound region](https://www.edgepedia.org/puget-sound-region).[3](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a) Atlas Air had ordered four 747-8 freighters early in 2022, and the final aircraft carried an image of Joe Sutter, the engineer who oversaw the 747's original design team.[3](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a)
The 747-8 remains in airline service. Lufthansa is the largest passenger operator, with 19 747-8 aircraft, and [Korean Air](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-air) also operates the type; one fleet tracker additionally lists [Air China](https://www.edgepedia.org/air-china) and [Rossiya Airlines](https://www.edgepedia.org/rossiya-airlines) as passenger 747 operators.[12](https://flightsmilesandpoints.com/airline-fleets/which-airlines-use-the-boeing-747-8/) • [13](https://www.boeing-747.com/active-boeing-747-fleet.html) Lufthansa flies the most scheduled passenger 747 flights, between Frankfurt and destinations including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.[14](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/boeing-747-retirement/687304/) On the cargo side, large 747-8F fleets remain with Atlas Air, UPS, Cargolux, and Kalitta Air.[13](https://www.boeing-747.com/active-boeing-747-fleet.html) Cargolux operates a fleet of 30 Boeing 747-400 and 747-8 purpose-built freighters.[15](https://www.cargolux.com/fleet-equipment/)
## Market position
The 747-8 was positioned against the [Airbus A380](https://www.edgepedia.org/airbus-a380) but offers less capacity; in high-density configurations the A380 provides significantly superior seat-mile economics, and one analysis puts the A380 approximately 2 to 3 percent better in per-seat fuel efficiency.[16](https://airinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Boeing_Report-Final.pdf) • [17](https://theflyingengineer.com/boeing-747-vs-a380-fuel-efficiency/) The market instead shifted to efficient twinjets such as the [Airbus A350](https://www.edgepedia.org/airbus-a350)-1000 and [Boeing 777](https://www.edgepedia.org/boeing-777)-9, which deliver lower fuel burn per seat but less total lift than the four-engine aircraft they replaced.[18](https://aircargoweek.com/were-aviations-giants-retired-too-soon/) Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia summarized the economics at the final delivery: "Nobody wants a four-engine airliner anymore."[3](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a)
For cargo, the 747-8 Freighter retains a distinct advantage: Atlas Air's chief executive called the 747 the greatest air freighter, citing its unique capacity to load through the nose cone.[3](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a) With constrained hub slots, longer flight routings, and delivery backlogs stretching into the 2030s, industry commentary has revisited whether very large aircraft such as the 747-8 were retired before a credible replacement for their capacity existed.[18](https://aircargoweek.com/were-aviations-giants-retired-too-soon/)
## References
1. [The Agency has issued a Type Certificate for Boeing model 747-8 following FAA Certification on 14 December, EASA (15 December 2011)](https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/news/agency-has-issued-type-certificate-boeing-model-747-8-following-faa)
2. [Boeing Completes Firm Configuration of 747-8 Freighter, Boeing News Release (October 31, 2006)](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2006-10-31-Boeing-Completes-Firm-Configuration-of-747-8-Freighter)
3. [Boeing bids farewell to an icon, delivers last 747 jumbo jet, AP News (January 31, 2023)](https://apnews.com/article/018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a)
4. [747-8 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning, Rev D, Boeing](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/commercial/airports/acaps/747-8_Rev_D.pdf)
5. [747-8, Boeing commercial airplanes](https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8)
6. [747-8 Airport Compatibility, Boeing](https://www.boeing.com/Commercial/airports/7478-airport-comp)
7. [Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 fleet diagram and specifications](https://www.lufthansa.com/content/dam/lh/documents/discover-lufthansa/lufthansa-fleet/74h/201812_B748_8f80c32e244B.pdf)
8. [Introducing Cargolux, Cargolux Airlines](https://www.cargolux.com/about-us)
9. [Fleet, Lufthansa (100 Years)](https://www.lufthansa.com/mk/en/100-years/fleet)
10. [Airworthiness Directives: The Boeing Company Airplanes, FAA AD 2013-24-01, Federal Register Vol. 78, No. 229 (November 27, 2013)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2013-11-27/pdf/2013-28638.pdf)
11. [747-8/8F Airworthiness Limitations, Boeing D011U721-02-01](https://downloads.regulations.gov/FAA-2016-3702-0006/attachment_2.pdf)
12. [Which airlines use the passenger and cargo Boeing 747-8?](https://flightsmilesandpoints.com/airline-fleets/which-airlines-use-the-boeing-747-8/)
13. [Who Still Flies the Boeing 747? Active Fleet Tracker, boeing-747.com](https://www.boeing-747.com/active-boeing-747-fleet.html)
14. [The Boeing 747 Begins Its Final Descent, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/boeing-747-retirement/687304/)
15. [Fleet & equipment, Cargolux Airlines](https://www.cargolux.com/fleet-equipment/)
16. [Boeing Report, AirInsight (2018)](https://airinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Boeing_Report-Final.pdf)
17. [Boeing 747 vs A380: Fuel Efficiency Compared, The Flying Engineer](https://theflyingengineer.com/boeing-747-vs-a380-fuel-efficiency/)
18. [Were aviation's giants retired too soon? Air Cargo Week](https://aircargoweek.com/were-aviations-giants-retired-too-soon/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Aircraft › Airliners and civil transport aircraft › Wide-body and large airliners › Boeing 747 family*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license