Boeing to cut 747-8 production rate

Boeing said it would cut the production of 747-8 aircraft (including both freighter and passenger variants) from the current rate of 18 per year, to 15.6, effective September 2015.

Boeing has taken firm orders for a total of 119 747-8s, including 68 freighters, 42 -8I passenger units, and nine in VIP configuration. Of these, the manufacturer has delivered a total of 80 (55 -8Fs, 17 pax, and 8 VIP), leaving a backlog of 39 units.

Given that orders have slowed to almost nothing – the two orders booked in 2014 were matched by two cancellations – the cut in production rate is hardly surprising.