Cargolux’s giant Boeing 747-8F type aircraft landed on runway 31 R at Budapest Airport at 5:59 a.m. in minus 4 degrees and complete darkness. The Luxembourg-based cargo airline received the brand new aircraft in the United States just last week. The Boeing 747 type, commonly known as the Jumbo, has of course been serving civil aviation for a long time; its maiden flight was in 1969. Since then, this is the fourth generation, and the one which has seen the most extensive remodeling. The length of the 747-8F has been increased, both overall and in terms of the wingspan, as part of a new wing design. As a result, and thanks to the brand new General Electric GEnx-2B67 type engines, the aircraft’s range and maximum structural payload have increased, whilst its noise emissions and fuel consumption have decreased significantly.
This aircraft from Cargolux is the first of the Boeing 747-8 series to commence commercial operation. The Luxembourg-based cargo airline is one of the largest European all freighter airline operator and has scheduled services in to Budapest Airport 5 times a week. It downloads cargo coming from Hong Kong and uploads cargo on its way to Luxembourg to feed into their worldwide net. The B747-8F aircraft was the first commercial flight ever to have been performed with this new type from Boeing and is scheduled 4 out of the weekly frequencies via BUD. Due to the enormous size of the aircraft, Budapest Airport had to alter its arrangements for the handling of large aircraft, achieved the permission for the B747-8F, and had to work out new procedures together with the authorities and ground handlers, in order to be able to accommodate it.
“We are proud of the fact that Budapest Airport became the very first European airport to welcome and serve the Boeing 747-8F on its first ever commercial flight,” said Jost Lammers, the CEO of Budapest Airport after the landing of the Cargolux aircraft. “We had to reconfigure the apron to make sure we can handle the giant aircraft seamlessly, and everything went smoothly this morning. Next year we will be able to serve this type at the first terminal of our new Cargo City, near runway 2. It is important to emphasize that the new model is significantly more efficient than older cargo aircraft in terms of lower noise and carbon dioxide emissions.”
The main data of the the B747-8F aircraft are as follows:
Length: 76.25 m
Wingspan: 68.45 m
Height: 19.35 m
Fuselage width: 6.1 m
Maximum takeoff weight: 442 tons
Maximum structural payload: 134 tons
Maximum range: 8,130km (with maximum structural payload)
Maximum speed: 988 km/h (Mach 0.92)
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