Boeing is acquiring previous versions of the 747 from airlines ordering its new, tough-to-sell 747-8. Of the 19 older 747s that have changed hands so far this year, Boeing has snapped up seven, according to data compiled by Ascend Online Fleets. That makes it the biggest buyer of the used jets in 2013.
Boeing helps nurture demand for the newer 747-8—among a class of fuel-thirsty four-engine aircraft that airlines frown upon these days. New sales are pivotal to keeping 747 assembly lines humming as Boeing slows output 13 percent to 1.75 planes a month and stashes some unsold 747-8s in desert storage.
the Ascend data show that this year’s sellers of 747-400s to the world’s largest planemaker are all buyers of the 747-8 family, which includes both passenger and all-freight versions. The buyers are Korean Air Lines and Cathay Pacific Airways , as well as Cathay’s Dragonair unit and its cargo joint venture with Air China .
It entered commercial service in 2011, two years late, after Boeing diverted engineers to the delayed 787 Dreamliner. Production of the 747-400 ended in 2009. New features on the 747-8 include improved engines and an elongated version of the fuselage hump that gives the plane its distinctive profile.
Boeing’s buybacks help 747-8 customers avoid recording losses on older planes they would otherwise struggle to sell amid a global glut of used jumbos
The 747-8 is a victim of Boeing’s engineering success:
The bottom line: Boeing is taking old 747s in trade in order to encourage sales of its newer $350 million 747-8 jumbo jet.
Boeing helps nurture demand for the newer 747-8—among a class of fuel-thirsty four-engine aircraft that airlines frown upon these days. New sales are pivotal to keeping 747 assembly lines humming as Boeing slows output 13 percent to 1.75 planes a month and stashes some unsold 747-8s in desert storage.
the Ascend data show that this year’s sellers of 747-400s to the world’s largest planemaker are all buyers of the 747-8 family, which includes both passenger and all-freight versions. The buyers are Korean Air Lines and Cathay Pacific Airways , as well as Cathay’s Dragonair unit and its cargo joint venture with Air China .
It entered commercial service in 2011, two years late, after Boeing diverted engineers to the delayed 787 Dreamliner. Production of the 747-400 ended in 2009. New features on the 747-8 include improved engines and an elongated version of the fuselage hump that gives the plane its distinctive profile.
Boeing’s buybacks help 747-8 customers avoid recording losses on older planes they would otherwise struggle to sell amid a global glut of used jumbos
The 747-8 is a victim of Boeing’s engineering success:
The bottom line: Boeing is taking old 747s in trade in order to encourage sales of its newer $350 million 747-8 jumbo jet.
