Boeing is studying the possibility of lengthening its 747-8 Intercontinental passenger aircraft in response to requests from some airlines for additional capacity.

Interest is coming primarily from Asian carriers that are also evaluating the Airbus A380, which nominally seats 555 passengers in three classes, compared with 450 for the 747-8I, say industry sources.

Commenting on the potential for increasing the -8I’s capacity, Boeing says: “We are having detailed discussions in terms of both the aircraft and the potential business deal, with a lot of the large global operators around the world that today operate 747-400s. The specifics on the 747-8 Intercontinental will not be finalized until firm configuration is reached.”
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