Boeing Co.'s 747-8 freighter makes its first flight on Monday, according to reports reaching here.

The plane, the biggest Boeing has ever built, took off at 12:39 PM local time from Paine Field Airport in Everett in the US state of Washington, one day before the 41st anniversary of the first flight of the 747.

The first test flight of the jumbo jet is expected to last more than three hours.

The airplane is 76.3-meter long, 5.6 meters longer than the 747- 400 freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume compared with its predecessor, Boeing has said.

The company said the jet is more eco-friendly than the current 747-400 models.

"The 747-8 first flight is a milestone in our partnership with China's aviation industry," David Wang, president of Boeing China, said in a statement received by Xinhua.

Wang noted that several Chinese manufacturers have made a great contribution to the success of the 747-8 program.

The jumbo jet, which is listed on the market for some US$300 million, was launched in November 2005, and was originally planned to take its first flight in 2009. Boeing said it had got 18 firm orders.

The company is also developing a passenger version of the 747-8. Both the 747-8 freighter and passenger jets are smaller than the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2010)