Boeing Company (BA) successfully completed the first test flight of its long-in-the-making 747-8 Freighter. The 747-8 Freighter is the new, high-capacity 747 that brings the benefits of low operating costs and best economics in any freighter to cargo operators. The 747-8 is powered by four General Electric Company’s (GE) GEnx-2B engines. The airplane is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet, 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16% more revenue cargo volume compared to its predecessor. That translates to an additional four main-deck pallets and three lower-hold pallets.

Boeing launched the airplane on Nov 14, 2005, with firm orders for 18 747-8 Freighters: 10 from Cargolux of Luxembourg and eight from Nippon Cargo Airlines of Japan. Till date, Boeing has secured 108 orders for the 747-8. The customers are a varied mix of airlines like AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air.

Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial jet liners and military aerospace products (based on total sales). Boeing designs and produces commercial airplanes, defense systems, and civil and defense space systems. It is also the largest NASA contractor. Non-airplane products include helicopters, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, rocket engines, launch vehicles, and advanced information and communication systems.

Boeing is one of the best-positioned companies among its defense peers due to its balanced exposure to commercial aircraft and defense equipment. Defense peers like Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) dabble only in defense equipment.

Going forward we believe Boeing’s $316 billion order backlog, strong order booking, stable cash flow generation and a globally diversified customer base will help maintain the growth momentum. However, a bearish commercial aerospace market, apprehension over growth in defense spending, and delays in the launch of the 787 series jetliner will affect Boeing’s performance in the near term.

Zacks Investment Research

1. (BA) Boeing Gets Passed by Airbus in Commercial Airplane DeliveriesBoeing Company (BA) was summarily beaten by its traditional rival Airbus in fiscal 2009 in...
2. (BA) Boeing 2009 Commercial Aircraft Orders Were Down 61%Boeing Company (BA) announced that in fiscal 2009 its commercial airplane order booking tumbled 61%...
3. (BA) Boeing Lands U.S. Air Force B-52 Modernization ContractBoeing Co. (BA) has won a $750 million U.S. Air Force contract for modernization and...
4. (BA) Boeing Delivers First 777-300ER Aircraft to GE Capital Aviation ServicesBoeing Co. (BA) delivered its first 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplane to GE Capital Aviation Services...
5. (BA) Boeing Rolls Out First 747-800 FreighterThe Boeing Company (BA) towed the first 747-8 Freighter model out of its factory in...
6. (BA) The Boeing Company to Digest $1 Billion Charge Related to 747-8 Series Freighter jetThe Boeing Company (BA) yesterday announced that it will record a $1 billion charge in...

Search Posts by Tag: BA | Boeing Company | GE | General Electric Company | LMT | Lockheed Martin Corporation | NOC | Northrop Grumman Corporation | Aerospace-Defense - Major Diversified | Industrial Goods

RSS Feeds by Tag: BA | Boeing Company | GE | General Electric Company | LMT | Lockheed Martin Corporation | NOC | Northrop Grumman Corporation | Aerospace-Defense - Major Diversified | Industrial Goods |

Other Posts by: vitalstocks | RSS Feed for this author