Boeing Announces BBJ Convertible Availability at EBACE

Released on Monday, May 11, 2009

GENEVA, May 11, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that the BBJ Convertible is now available to prospective customers. The airplane reconfigures from all-passenger to all-cargo configuration in less than eight hours. Multi-mission Capability

Governments, corporations and private individuals can quickly change from transporting VIPs, staff or troops to delivering disaster-relief supplies or configuring for medical evacuation. There is room for transporting tools, parts and machinery; race cars or race horses; or equipment for touring bands and musicians. Overhead Space Kitted for Flexibility

Boeing recently finalized an agreement with Greenpoint Technologies to provide 747-8 VIP owners and their chosen completion centers with a kit that adds 75 square-meters of space to the airplane's crown. The Overhead Space Utilization or OSU kit is installed post production above the main cabin ceilings between doors three and five. The kit includes stairs from the main deck to the space above. Greenpoint offers three artistically engineered OSU designs. BBJ Performance Improvements Set

BBJ owners receiving their airplanes after mid-2011 will reduce fuel consumption by 2 percent through a combination of airframe and engine improvements that Boeing announced in late April. Airplane structural improvements will reduce drag on the airplane, reducing fuel use by about 1 percent.

Boeing's engine partner, CFM is contributing a further 1 percent fuel savings through hardware changes to its CFM56-7B Evolution engine.