Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first 747-400ER (Extended Range) Freighter to enter the fleet of Jade Cargo International. Jade Cargo, based in Shenzhen, China, is the first cargo airline in China with foreign ownership. The new cargo airplane is the first of six that Jade Cargo ordered in 2005. The carrier plans to put the airplane into operation in the first week of August.
Jade Cargo's new freighter will carry a maximum payload of 124 tons (113 tonnes) and has a maximum range of 4,970 nautical miles (9,200 km). The airplane's distinctive nose door allows increased revenue by accommodating high-value outsize shipments and superior efficiency and flexibility in ground operations. The Boeing 747 freighter family is the standard of the air cargo industry, providing more than half of the world's freighter capacity.