The freight carrier Atlas Air announced today that it had signed a deal with Boeing to purchase twelve Boeing 747-800 freighter aircraft. Analysts valued the deal at $3.4 billion in list prices; but the carrier likely negiotated discounts with the aerospace giant as Air Atlas is one of the first airlines to place an order for the 747-800. Air Atlas expects to receive delivery of its first aircraft by 2010, with the final aircraft in this order delivered by the end of 2011. Air Atlas CEO William Flynn praised the plane, which is still under development, saying that “with its increased capacity, greater range at equivalent payloads, and lower operating costs, the 747-8F gives our customers a cutting-edge aircraft to meet this growth in global air cargo demand. We are very pleased at our customers’ enthusiasm for this next-generation freighter, and we look forward to putting it into service for them.” The selection of the newest generation of 747 aircraft was a a natural choice for the carrier, as Air Atlas currently operates the world’s largest fleet of freight 747 aircraft. The Boeing 747-800 aircraft, which comes in two iterations– passenger and freighter, owes its increased efficency primarily to “General Electric’s new GEnx engines, which deliver greater fuel efficiency, engine durability, weight reduction and lower overall operating costs than today’s engines.” With this order, Boeing has sold thirty 747-800 aircraft. All of the purchased aircraft have been the freighter variant, leaving Boeing to ponder, will the 747-800 passenger version become as popular as its predecessors?

Source: Yahoo