[Avionics Today 3-19-2015] The FAA has issued approval for 330-minute Extended Operations (ETOPS) for the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. According to Boeing, the 747-8 Intercontinental is the first four-engine aircraft to receive this type of design approval.
Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. Photo: Boeing.
The approval is required for four-engine passenger aircraft built after February 2015 to fly beyond 180 minutes from an en-route alternate airport.
There are currently 83 total 747-8s in service with 11 operators, which have logged more than 819,000 flight hours and more than 101,000 flight cycles.
“Our customers will benefit from this additional level of reliability inherent to ETOPS design approvals while still leveraging the vast network of routes ideal to the 747-8 capabilities, including 330-minute ETOPS routes,” said Bruce Dickinson, vice president and general manager, 747 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.