The Boeing 747-8F opens at the nose to accommodate large items. The new plane carries 16 percent more cargo and uses 17 percent less fuel than its predecessor, the Boeing 747-400. [Enlarge]
British Airways World Cargo has made Atlanta one of the first stops for a new plane that will boost efficiency on its cargo routes.
The airline's Atlanta route, which brings an estimated $18 million economic impact to the city, landed the Boeing 747-8F at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Nov. 10. Hailed as the next generation of cargo freighter, the plane carries 16 percent more cargo and uses 17 percent less fuel than its predecessor, the Boeing 747-400.
British Airways is the first airline to land the new plane at Hartsfield. The Boeing 747-8F received operational approval earlier this year, according to an airport news release.
Hartsfield handled 17 percent more cargo in 2010 than the previous year, outpacing the North American average of 13.2 percent as global trade rebounded after the 2009 recession.
Through August of this year, cargo had increased 2 percent over the same period in 2010.
