Boeing Names Liebherr as Supplier for 747-8 Environmental Control System
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, a member of the Switzerland-based Liebherr Group, to supply the environmental control system for the new 747-8 airplane.
Liebherr's environmental control system will use outside air supplied by the 747-8's General Electric GEnx engines to supply the cabin. The system will condition the air, making it comfortable for passengers and crew.
"Having a robust environmental control system is critical for cabin safety and comfort," said Corky Townsend, chief project engineer, 747-8 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Liebherr has a proven track record in environmental control systems for commercial aviation. They also have proven to be a reliable supplier for The Boeing Company."
Liebherr will design and manufacture the environmental control system at its facility in Toulouse, France. Group members Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH and Liebherr-Elektronik GmbH also will participate in this project. Boeing expects the first hardware deliveries to begin late 2008.
"Our strong team and extensive knowledge of environmental control systems will be an asset to the 747-8 program," said André Benhamou, managing director of Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS. "We are excited to be part of the team working on the Boeing 747-8."
The 747-8 family, which includes the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane and the 747-8 Freighter, was launched in November 2005 by Cargolux Airlines and Nippon Cargo Airlines. Since the program launch, Boeing has garnered 29 orders and commitments for the 747-8.
Additional Information
747-8 Family: The 747-8 is a family of passenger and freighter airplanes that serves the market for airplanes of 400 seats and larger. The 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane seats 450 passengers in a typical three-class configuration and offers the lowest seat-mile cost of any passenger airplane. It provides operators a 14,815-km (8,000-nmi) range, 21 percent greater cargo volume and 9 percent lower seat-mile costs compared to the 747-400. The 747-8 Freighter will fly 8,275 km (4,475 nmi) with a maximum structural payload capacity of 140 metric tonnes (154 tons). It offers 16 percent more revenue cargo volume than the 747-400F with slightly greater range. The 747-8 Freighter upholds its predecessor's legendary efficiency, with equivalent trip costs and 15 percent lower ton-mile costs than the 747-400F. The 747-8 Freighter will enjoy the lowest ton-mile costs of any freighter, giving operators unmatched profit potential. The first 747-8 Freighter will be delivered to launch customer Cargolux in late 2009.
Liebherr Group: The Liebherr Group was established in 1949 by Hans Liebherr. Today Liebherr is not only one of the world's leading manufacturers of construction machinery, but is also an acknowledged supplier of technically innovative user-oriented products and services in numerous other fields. Over the years, the family business has grown into what is today a group of companies, currently employing a workforce of approximately 25,000 in more than 100 companies on all continents. In the year 2005, turnover of the Liebherr Group reached €5.3 billion.
###
For further information: