Boeing · Widebody · In Production
Boeing 747-8F
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The Boeing 747-8F (Freighter) is the dedicated cargo variant of the final iteration of Boeing's iconic wide-body jumbo jet family. Featuring a stretched fuselage that extends its length to 76.3 meters and incorporating advanced, high-bypass General Electric GEnx engines alongside redesigned supercritical wings with raked wingtips, the variant delivers significantly lower fuel burn and enhanced payload capacity compared to its predecessor, the 747-400F.
As the heaviest twin-deck commercial freighter produced, the 747-8F retains the signature nose-loading door capability inherited from earlier generations, allowing for the seamless transport of outsized, cumbersome, or continuous-length freight. The type ultimately marked the end of an era for commercial quadjet production, with the final airframe rolling off the Everett assembly line in January 2023.
By The Numbers
Production of the Boeing 747-8 concluded in January 2023 when the 1574th and final 747—a 747-8 Freighter—was delivered to Atlas Air. Across the entire 747-8 program, a total of 155 aircraft were built, consisting of 48 passenger Intercontinentals and 107 of the high-capacity 747-8F cargo variants.
Today, the heavy lifting of the active 747-8F fleet is concentrated primarily among major global cargo carriers and wet-lease operators like Atlas Air, Cargolux, UPS Airlines, Korean Air Cargo, and Cathay Pacific Cargo, keeping the type deeply embedded in critical long-haul freight corridors linking Asia, North America, and Europe.
Manufacturing
Where It's Built
Final assembly of the Boeing 747-8F (Freighter) took place at Boeing's widebody production facility in Everett, Washington, which served as the exclusive manufacturing home for the 747 program across its 54-year production run until the final airframe was delivered in early 2023.
Major structural and systems responsibilities were distributed among key risk-sharing aerospace suppliers. Fuselage sections and structural components were fabricated by global aerostructures partners, while the aircraft's distinctive deeper, thicker wing design—featuring modified aerodynamics and raked wingtips—was largely built and integrated utilizing advanced internal and external supply chains. Avionics systems and flight deck displays were developed in partnership with major tier-one electronics suppliers, incorporating technology architectures shared with the 787 program.
Regarding the program's development cost, an exact, isolated public figure for the 747-8 development phase was not officially itemized or broken out as a standalone line item by Boeing in public financial disclosures, as expenses overlapped with concurrent enterprise-wide widebody development and production adjustments.
Notable Operators
Watch
Boeing 747-8F In Action
PURE Boeing 747 POWER!✈ What an Massive Sound! B747-400, B747-8 KLM, Korean Air, Air China, Rossiya
Boeing 747F: The World Cargo Workhorse
Sources & Further Reading