Boeing's new 747-8 Intercontinental long version of its famed jumbo jet landed outside Paris a day ahead of its debut outside the United States at the Paris International Air Show.
The 747-8, the world's longest passenger plane at 76.4 metres, landed at a windy Le Bourget airport on Sunday, with its cargo counterpart due to arrive on Monday for the start of the biannual aerospace showcase.
The two models will join Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger plane at the show, but are due to leave on Tuesday before the event opens to the general public on Friday.
The 747-8 is an updated, longer and more fuel-efficient version of Boeing's huge 747 double-decker aircraft that entered service in 1970.
The first 747-8 Freighter is to be delivered to Luxembourg's Cargolux sometime in September.
The first 747-8 passenger plane will be delivered to a private customer in the fourth quarter, while Germany's Lufthansa will be the first airline to receive the plane in early 2012.
Boeing says that the 747-8, which can carry 467 passengers, is lighter and therefore consumes less fuel than the A380 superjumbo of European rival Airbus, which has 555 seats.
AFP
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