AVIATION/ BOEING 747-8I ARRIVES AT PARIS AIR SHOW

Boeing's new 747-8 Intercontinental long version of its famed jumbo jet landed outside Paris a day ahead of its debut outside the United States at the Paris International Air Show. The 747-8I, the world's longest passenger plane, landed at a windy Le Bourget aArport on Sunday, with its cargo counterpart due to arrive today, for the start of the biannual aerospace showcase. The 2 models will join Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger plane at the show, but are due to leave tomorrow, before the event opens to the general public on Friday.The 747-8I is an updated, longer and more fuel-efficient version of Boeing's huge 747 double-decker aircraft that entered service in 1970. The 1st 747-8 Freighter is to be delivered to Luxembourg's CARGOLUX sometime in September. The 1st 747-8I passenger plane will be delivered to a private customer in the 4th quarter, while Germany's LUFTHANSA will be the 1st Airline to receive the plane in early 2012. Boeing says that the 747-8I, which can carry 467 passengers, is lighter and therefore consumes less fuel than the A380 superjumbo of European rival Airbus, which has 555 seats.