ITJ 05-08/2023
Dear readers,
The day was always coming – now it has finally come. As we put this issue to bed Boeing handed over to Atlas Air the very last one of its B747s. The fact that it was a cargo version and that 80 or so originally passenger versions of the Jumbo still flying today move goods and not guests in their second life is proof of the role our industry has played in creating the legend that is the Jumbo Jet.
The company Boom Supersonic wants to revive another technology that has become a myth, namely supersonic aviation, which was discontinued 20 years ago, when the last Concorde retired. On 26 January, the US firm laid the foundation stone for its ‘Overture Superfactory’ in Greensboro (NC).
Production of the Overture is scheduled to start next year, with its first flight due in 2027. 35 firm orders and 171 options have already been placed. There will be little room for (express) cargo, however – the aircraft’s fuselage will be very narrow.
Logistics will just have to innovate in other fields in 2023 – and in the future!
Andreas Haug
Head of airfreight
