While woes continue to beset its 787 Dreamliner project, Boeing is continuing to mark the numerous milestones in the assembly of its first 747-8 Freighter. Earlier this week Boeing announced that mechanics completed the installation of the new GEnx-2B engines on airplane No. 1 in final assembly at the factory in Everett, Washington.

“We are another step closer to bringing the 747-8 Freighter to market,” said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 programme. “This production milestone is a reflection of the strong working together relationship among Boeing, GE Aviation, Middle River Aircraft Systems and Spirit AeroSystems.”

The GEnx-2B continues its progress through its engine certification testing. It recently completed the first phase of flight testing on GE’s 747 flying test bed.

The 747-8 Freighter is expected to make its first flight in the fourth quarter of this year, with first delivery scheduled for the third quarter of 2010. Boeing has secured 78 orders from leading cargo operators for the new 747-8 Freighter.

Launch-customer Cargolux along with Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridge- Cargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air all have placed firm orders for the airplane.