Getting better all the time

We’re making a lot of progress on the flight test program for the 747-8’s Performance Improvement Package (PIP). We’ve flown 218 hours since testing started in May, and expect certification and deliveries starting in the fourth quarter of this year.

This 747-8 Intercontinental takes to the skies to test a performance improvement package.

With the PIP, the 747-8 will see a 1.8 percent improvement in fuel burn— saving our customers approximately $1 million annually in fuel per airplane. We’re also planning more weight reductions —and two to three years from now we’d like to increase the Intercontinental’s range to 8,200 nautical miles.

While we continue to invest in 747-8 improvements, it seems the competition is more worried about our advertisements. This week, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK dismissed a complaint from Airbus that had to do with a recent 747-8 Intercontinental ad.

In that ad, we laid out the clear advantages our airplane has over the A380. After the complaint, we defended our position and supplied plenty of material to back it up—and the ASA concluded that our 747-8 stats were well-substantiated. We stand behind the ad and the analysis we put into it 100 percent.

It’s no secret the large airplane market segment is pretty tough at the moment—and there’s no doubt that our ad hit a nerve. So far in 2013, Airbus hasn’t booked a single firm order for the A380. In fact, the last A380 order from a new customer was more than a year ago.

Since then, we’ve booked five firm orders for the Intercontinental (along with seven firm orders for the 747-8 Freighter), while Korean Air has agreed to purchase five Intercontinentals.

While they worry about ads in Toulouse, we’ll stay focused on our sales campaigns and making the 747-8 even better. After all, the proof is in the performance.