page_title: Boeing 747-8
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Boeing 747-8 / Design
caption_attribution_description: English: General Electric GEnx-2B67 engines. Transit refuel stop. 'City of Esch-sur-Alzette'.
context_page_description: The Boeing 747-8 is a wide-body airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the latest and largest variant of the 747.
  After introducing the 747-400, Boeing considered larger 747 versions as alternatives to Airbus' A3XX.
  The stretched 747 Advanced was launched as the 747-8 on November 14, 2005, for a market forecast of 300 aircraft.
  The first 747-8F Freighter performed its maiden flight on February 8, 2010, and the passenger 747-8I Intercontinental followed suit on March 20, 2011.
  The cargo version was first delivered in October 2011 and the airliner began commercial service in June 2012.
  Its fuselage is stretched by 18 ft to 250 ft, the longest airliner until the 777X-9, first flown in 2020.
  While keeping its basic structure and sweep, the wing is thicker and deeper, holding more fuel, and wider with raked wingtips.
  Powered by the more efficient General Electric GEnx turbofan of the 787 Dreamliner, its maximum take-off weight grew to 975,000 lb, the heaviest Boeing airliner.
  The Freighter version has a shorter upper deck and it can haul 137 t over 4,120 nmi.
  The airliner version can carry 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration over 7,790 nmi.
context_section_description: The 747-8 is a development of the Boeing 747 that takes advantage of improvements in technology and aerodynamics. The two 747-8 variants feature a fuselage stretch of 18.3 ft (5.6 m) over the 747-400, bringing the total length to 250 ft 2 in (76.25 m). The 747-8 is the world's longest currently operational passenger airliner, surpassing the Airbus A340-600 by 3.1 ft (0.95 m).  With a maximum take-off weight of 975,000 lb (442 t), the 747-8 is the heaviest aircraft, commercial or military, manufactured in the U.S.
  Compared to the 747-400, the main changes have been to the wings, which have undergone a complete design overhaul. The sweep and basic structure has been kept to contain costs, but the wing is thicker and deeper, with the aerodynamics recalculated. The pressure distribution and bending moments are different, and the new wing for the passenger version holds 64,225 US gal (243 m³) of jet fuel, and the cargo aircraft 60,925 US gal (231 m³). The increased wing span makes the 747-8 a Category F size airplane rather than Category E size, similar to the Airbus A380.  The new wing features single-slotted outboard flaps and double-slotted inboard flaps.
  Raked wingtips, similar to the ones used on the 777-200LR, 777-300ER, and 787 aircraft, are used on the new 747 variant instead of winglets used on the 747-400. These wingtip structures help reduce the wingtip vortices at the lateral edges of the wings, decreasing wake turbulence and drag, and thereby improving fuel efficiency. Another effort to reduce weight is the introduction of fly-by-wire technology for the majority of the lateral controls.
  The extra fuel capacity in the redesigned wing compared to the 747-400 eliminates the need to significantly change the horizontal tail unit to accommodate auxiliary tanks, further saving costs. The 747-8's vertical tail unit is largely unchanged with a height of 63 ft 6 in (19.35 m).  The wing's trailing edge and raked tip are made of carbon-fiber composites.
  The General Electric GEnx is the only engine available for the 747-8. The 747 engine variant has been adapted to provide bleed air for conventional airplane systems and feature a smaller diameter to fit on the 747 wing.
caption: The 747-8 has two GEnx turbofans under each wing, in a nacelle with chevrons
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