Following its planned international debut at the Paris air show, Boeing's jumbo 747-8 freighter will visit launch customer Cargolux at its Luxembourg base of operations.
RC522, the third of five test aircraft, is set to arrive at Le Bourget on 20 June, departing 22 June, intending to visit Luxembourg's Findel Airport on 23 June, according to a positing on the cargo carrier's Facebook page.
Boeing said the visit to Luxembourg is not part of the service ready operation validation (SROV), though the company has said Cargolux has worked with the aircraft having completed initial training programmes at Boeing, as well as the cargo carrier's pilots having flown the aircraft with the airframer.
Cargolux also received a 747-8F simulator on 7 June, the first to be delivered worldwide. The carrier holds orders for 13 -8F aircraft.
Additionally, RC523, the fifth 747-8F test aircraft, has been undergoing systems functionality and reliability (F&R) tests since 1 June, while the second of two 747-8 Intercontinental test aircraft, RC021, recently conducting nautical air miles (NAMS) fuel economy evaluations our of San Bernardino, California.
While Boeing maintains the delivery window for the first freighter has not slipped, the airframer has changed the way it now describes its timeline for the handover, having previously identified "mid-year" as the goal, while now calling the target "later this summer".
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The first jumbo for the carrier, RC503, is currently being refurbished and prepared for delivery at Boeing's Global Services & Support facility in San Antonio, Texas.
Both the 747-8I, which has been in flight testing since 20 March, and the 747-8 Freighter, flying since February 2010, will visit Le Bourget along with the first 787, ZA001, an Air Berlin 737-700 with the Sky Interior and a Qatar Airways 777-200LR.
Boeing will bring its bespoke red, white, orange and gray "Sunrise" livery-painted 747-8I, RC001, to Le Bourget from 09:00 local time 19 June to the evening of 21 June.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
