Boeing has passed a 747-8 Intercontinental milestone with the assembly of the first forward fuselage section. The 27.2m (89ft) fuselage section was moved from the assembly tool for sealing and testing before beginning systems installation. The aircraft will be 5.6m longer than a 747-400, including 4.1m in the forward fuselage and 1.5m aft of the wings, carrying up to 51 additional seats to accommodate 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, with 26% more cargo volume.

747-8 forward fuselage
  © Boeing

Source: Flight International