Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Boeing says it has completed the first tests on engines for its 747-8 freighter, moving the delay-plagued jet one step closer to a flight test.

The aerospace company says the engines and their systems performed as anticipated during the tests, which included starting and running the engines at multiple power settings.

In October, Boeing said it would record a $1 billion charge because of delays in producing the 747-8 Freighter.

As of last month Boeing had secured 105 orders for the 747-8 and anticipated the first flight of the plane by early next year.

Boeing is based in Chicago.