Boeing wafanya mapinduzi usafiri wa anga

Boeing has handed over the first passenger version of its upgraded 747 to a secret VIP customer, who immediately sent the plane along to a modification centre to transform it into the 'jewel of the sky'.

The delivery of the 747-8 Intercontinental - Boeing's largest and most recognisable commercial airplane - caps a development delay of more than a year.

Boeing, the world's second-largest plane-maker, marked the milestone with an understated ceremony, keeping the media at arm's length to safeguard the identity of its customer.

Chumba cha kulala ndani ya ndege ya Boeing 747

Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: 'The 747 is the most iconic airplane in the world, and I know customers are going to love what we've done to enhance its performance.

'The Intercontinental is fast, efficient and quiet, offering real savings and a great flying experience.'

Boeing, which competes for orders with rival Airbus, has taken 36 orders - nine from non-airline customers - for the aircraft, which lists at $332.9million.

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Ukumbi wa mikutano ndani ya ndege
ya Boeing 747 Ni raha tu

Boeing does not identify VIP customers, but past buyers of customised planes have been multi-millionaires and heads of state.

The airplane is more than 12 months behind its initial delivery schedule and some experts say the order book is puny.

VIP customers for planes as large as the 747 often request extensive modifications such as bedrooms or bathrooms to accommodate the special needs of the primary passengers and their entourages.

These modifications typically are done outside of Boeing, but the company must sign off on the changes. Playboy's paradise: An artist's impression of how a potential customer might want the jumbo's interior to look

Boeing Business Jets president Steve Taylor, who was set to fly the airplane from Paine Field near Seattle, Washington, said it will spend about six months at Boeing's Wichita facility - the plant that modified Air Force One - for basic modifications.

From there it goes to a facility in Hamburg where it will spend two years receiving customer-specific outfitting like bedrooms, dining rooms and galleys, he said.

From there it goes to a facility in Hamburg where it will spend two years receiving customer-specific outfitting like bedrooms, dining rooms and galleys, he said.

Mr Taylor said the unnamed customer wants the new Intercontinental to be the 'jewel of the sky'.

The Intercontinental is an elongated, upgraded version of the classic 747, which first flew more than 40 years ago. The 747 was the world's largest airplane until 2005, when Airbus unveiled its A380.

Alex Hamilton, an aerospace analyst and managing director at EarlyBirdCapital, said: 'The 747-8 has been slow to take off, and the success of the aircraft is still questionable given so few orders.'

Boeing had delayed the delivery to 2012 from the fourth quarter of 2011. The company blamed delays in flight testing and the time required to incorporate flight-test driven changes.