Boeing today said that due to “supply chain delays” caused by changes to the 747-8, limited engineering resources and the recent machinist’s strike, it had to “adjust” the delivery dates of its 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 Freighter planes.

The 747-8 Intercontinental is now scheduled to begin deliveries in Q2 of 2011, while the 747-8 Freighter should be available in Q3 2010, the company said. The passenger plane was originally planned for late 2010 deliveries and the Freighter for late 2009.
 
The 747-8 Intercontinental will have a capacity of 400 – 500 seats and will be positioned between the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380, Boeing said. The new 747-8 will replace the current 747-400 and promises “significantly lower operating costs, as well as improved economics and environmental performance.”

According to the company the plane will carryover features from the 777 and the 787 models, including windows that equal those on the 777 (and larger than those on the 747-400), as well as interior design elements used in the 787, such as a “ curved, upswept architecture”.

In direct comparison to the 747-400, the 747-8 will be 18.3 ft longer (5.6 m) and will allow 467 seats in its standard configuration. The range will climb to 8000 nautical miles or 14,815 km and undercut the 747-400’s seat-mile costs by 10%, while providing 28% more cargo volume, Boeing said. According to the manufacturer, the 747-8 will be 16% more fuel efficient and 30% quieter than its predecessor.