747 progress

After nearly 45 years since its first flight (February 1969), and 1,500 delivered, the remarkable Boeing 747 soldiers on.  Tales of its demise seem to be premature.  Its future is mainly seen as a freighter with Airbus abandoning a cargo version of the A380.

Boeing will cut production of the latest 747-8 to 1.3 aircraft per month from 1.5, starting from September 2015, a reduction of two per year.  Boeing says this is being made "because the near-term recovery in the cargo market has not been as robust as expected."

The company also indicated that it remains committed to the plane. "We continue to believe in the long-term strength of the freighter market and the 747-8 is uniquely positioned to capture this demand," Boeing said.

The 747-8 has attracted only 119 total orders since its 2005 launch, with 68 of these for cargo versions and the remainder passenger jets.  It has delivered 80 and has a backlog of 39 unfilled orders. www.boeing.com

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