EBACE:Kuwait the launch customer for new configured 747-8 head-of-state aircraft

A new configuration of the Boeing 747-8 VIP is being prepared for two head of state aircraft for a Middle Eastern customer. The customer is believed to be the Kuwait royal flight.

Speaking at the Geneva show today, Boeing says it has partnered with Greenpoint Technologies to offer sleeper berths and lounges for 747-8 VIP operators.

As well as the two head-of-state aircraft for Kuwait, an additional Middle Eastern client has also ordered two kits.

The Overhead Space Utilization kit provides up to 75 square meters (807 square feet) with room for as many as 16 sleeper berths or two lounge modules, set above the main cabin in the crown of the aircraft between doors three and five.

The concept was originally marketed by Boeing as the 'SkyLoft' but it found little interest from airline customers for additional revenue generation. But Boeing marketers found that the VIP market would appreciate the additional sleeping areas.

Passengers will be able to access to the OSU area by way of a forward entry staircase at door three, which also accommodates 67 kg. (150 lbs.) worth of additional stowage on the main deck.

Each of the private 747-8 VIP berths offers lie-flat 36"x78" mattresses, equivalent to a standard single bed, as well as a privacy curtain, removable decorative panels and a passenger service unit for calling a flight attendant. The unit will be installed post-production and is separated from the main deck by removing the main cabin centerline overhead bins. The lower surface of the OSU will be separated from the cabin using a closeout fairing, but provides an attachment point for the modified ceiling and a revised interface for the centreline passenger service units.

When installed, Greenpoint will obtain an addition FAA supplemental type certificate for zero passenger configuration for the aircraft, and later as an "in-flight" only feature once the OSU is provided a passenger occupancy certificate following final completion.

Each lounge unit and berth will be directly connected to the aircraft environmental control systems providing twenty cubic feet per minute of conditioned air per module.

First deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011 through 2013.

Boeing holds orders for a total of ten 747-8 VIP aircraft, the first of which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011, following a two aircraft flight test program to certify the world's longest business jet.