KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Boeing has moved another step closer to bringing the 747-8 Freighter to market, said its vice president and general manager of the 747 programme, Mo Yahyavi.

He said the company continued to make progress on the assembly of the 747-8 Freighter as mechanics completed the installation of the new GEnx-2B engines on airplane No. 1 in final assembly at the factory in Everett, Washington.

"This production milestone is a reflection of the strong working together relationship among Boeing, GE Aviation, Middle River Aircraft Systems and Spirit AeroSystems," Yahyavi was quoted as saying on the company bulletin, "Boeing Navigator", for the November edition.

He said the GEnx-2B continued its progress through the engine certification testing, adding that it recently completed the first phase of flight testing on GE's 747 flying testbed.

General manager of GE Aviation's GEnx programme, Tom Brisken, said the GEnx-2B engine performed very well during more than 1,500 hours of ground certification tests and 100 hours of flight testing.

"We look forward to watching the GEnx-powered 747-8 Freighter take its first flight, ushering in a new era of improved aircraft efficiency," he said.

The GEnx-2B is based on the GEnx-1B engine launched with the 787 Dreamliner. It has been designed for the 747-8 and rated at 66,500 pounds of thrust.

-- BERNAMA