Boeing

Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Cathay Pacific Airways celebrated the first flight and the beginning of flight test and certification for the prototype 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighter.

The airplane flew Oct. 5 from Xiamen, People's Republic of China, where conversion from a passenger jet to a freighter occurred, and landed a few hours later in Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region.

A Boeing flight test crew, stationed in Hong Kong, is conducting the flight test over the next few months. This is the first time Boeing has run a flight test program outside the United States. To date, seven customers have placed 34 firm orders and have options for 29 more of the converted freighters.