IAG Cargo 747-8 Freighter Fast & Fun Facts (04/11/2011)

British Airways World Cargo, part of IAG Cargo's freighter history

• The three new 747-8 Freighters will replace the current fleet of 747-400s, which have been in operation since 1997.
• British Airways World Cargo has wet-leased freighters from GSS since 2002.
• The last branded freighter to be operated by British Airways World Cargo was the 747-400 Chelsea Rose, between 1997 and 2000.
• Current freighter routes include STN, HKG, FRA, PVG, ORD, DEL, as well as new routes through NBO and JNB.

Boeing 747-8 Freighter vital statistics

Maximum Payload Capacity:	133.9 metric tonnes (133,900kg)
Range:	4,390 nautical miles (8,130km)
Height:	63ft 6in (19.4m)
Wing Span:	224ft 7in (68.4m)
Length:	250ft 2in (76.3m)
Cruise Speed:	Mach 0.85
Engine:	General Electric GEnx-2B67 (66,500lb thrust)

Fun facts

• The 747-8 Freighter is able to travel the length of 3 FIFA football fields in 1 second.
• A 747-8 Freighter is able to instantly airlift nearly 9 million 72-hour medical kits or 122,000 military MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) to a location in distress.
• The 747-8 Freighter wingspan is as wide as two 737-700s end to end.
• The 747-8 Freighter tail height is 63ft 6in (19.5m), equivalent to a six-story building.
• One 747-8 GEnx-2B engine has approximately the same take-off thrust as all 8 engines on the original B-52 bomber
• The total electrical capacity of a 747-8 Freighter can power up to 480,000 32-inch flat screen televisions.
• The 747-8 freighter travels at just over 80% of the speed of sound at a height of up to 43,000 feet.
• The 747-8 freighter can carry the equivalent of 15 detached houses worth of furniture or a Blue Whale - the largest animal in the world.
• The engines on the 747-8 freighter are so quiet that worried residents near the Boeing test airport called to say they thought the aircraft was flying with the engines turned off.
• The 747-8 freighter wingspan is nearly twice the length of the first ever flight made by the Wright brothers in 1903.