Boeing, Lufthansa Celebrate Flyaway of First Airline 747-8 Intercontinental

EVERETT, Wash., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, celebrated the flyaway of the first 747-8 Intercontinental delivered to an airline. Boeing and Lufthansa employees joined leaders from both companies, media and suppliers for a delivery ceremony at the Future of Flight Aviation Center beside Paine Field airport in Everett, Wash.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, Carsten Spohr, chairman of the executive board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa; Nico Buchholz, executive vice president, Group Fleet Management, Lufthansa; and Elizabeth Lund, Boeing vice president and general manager, 747 Program, boarded the airplane with about 30 passengers and crew for the flight taking the airplane from Everett to Lufthansa's home base at Frankfurt, Germany.

When the airplane lands at Frankfurt May 2, Lufthansa will host a special celebration. The airplane will begin regular revenue service June 1 on a flight from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C.

The 747-8 Intercontinental will bring double-digit improvements in fuel burn and emissions over its predecessor, the 747-400, while generating 30 percent less noise. The 747-8 Intercontinental's Dreamliner-inspired interior includes a new curved, upswept architecture giving passengers a greater feeling of space and comfort, while adding more room for personal belongings. It is powered by GE Aviation's GEnx-2B engines.

Contact: Joanna Pickup
747 Communications
+1 206-266-4732
+1 425-879-6077 (mobile)
[email protected]

Contact: Jim Proulx
747 Communications
+1 206-766-1393
+1 206-850-2102 (mobile)
[email protected]

Contact: Beatrice Bracklo
Corporate Communications- Germany, Austria, Switzerland
+49 30 77377-106
+49 30 172 4125525 (mobile)
[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing