i just noticed this the boeing 747-8 i has only 37 orders. the cargo vernon has 70. so could we see the 747 become cargo only.
[center]
[/center]
Well, some 40 years ago, when Boeing planned the B747, they tought air travel would be carried out in supersonic aircraft very soon (B2727) and the 74 would be only good for freight and charter flights. They engineered it with the "hump" to be able to load 40 ft shipping containers onto it, so it was (and is) a brilliant freighter. Now, more than 40 years after this development the statement, that the 74 would be used more in cargo transport than in passenger transport seems to become true.
Who knows, I guess there will be more orders for the passenger version in the years to come…
When you come down to it, the good ol' 747 is well...old. I could easily see Boeing replacing it with a competitor to the A380 as the 747 is just too old to be as fuel efficient or as large as the A380 in the passenger area, bet the 747 does make a great freighter, but how many variants can Boeing make before it realizes that the 747 is too old of a design to suit modern needs, too small to fight the A380 too large to do anything else. I believe it is over for the 747, though it's legacy will live on.
747 is cargo aircraft who is modded for passengers
Boeing lose race for US army contract and sell aircraft to civilian airlines
good thing is this is very nice aircraft with long service, i hear that some airline still use 30+ years old 747
in fact you can't improve 747 any more (except new interior, new electronics), maybe new better engines
Aircraft is BIG (they call him Jambo Jet with reason), and that is problem on overloaded airports