Boeing announced today that it will deliver the first 747-8 Freighter to launch customer Cargolux on September 19 at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Cargolux plans to take delivery of its second airplane on September 21. The carrier has ordered a total of 13 of the new airplanes.

“It is great to receive our first two 747-8 Freighters within just a few days,” said Frank Reimen, president and CEO of Cargolux. “In a sense, history is repeating itself. We were pioneering the cargo industry when we put the first 747-400 Freighter into revenue service in 1993. This is what we do once again with the 747-8 Freighter, which is ultimately a testimony of our good and long-standing partnership with Boeing.”

The 747-8F gained FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification on August 19, after flying 3,400 hours during 1,200 test missions since it first took to the air on Feb. 8, 2010. During that time, the flight-test team used the five-airplane test fleet to gather data for more than 1,700 FAA certification requirements.

Stretching 18 feet and 4 inches longer than the 747-400 Freighter, the 747-8 Freighter provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume compared to its predecessor, allowing for four more main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets.