One of the first Boeing 747-8 executive variants has rolled off the assembly line and was delivered Tuedsay. It is expected to enter service with an unidentified Middle East head-of-state operator in 2014, following installation of an executive interior by Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany.

Before heading to Hamburg, the airplane will first stop in Wichita, where Boeing Global Transport & Executive Systems will install an Aeroloft kit from Greenpoint Technologies. The Aeroloft will add another 393 sq ft of overhead private area to the 4,786 sq ft on the main deck and the upper lounge.

In its final form, the new head-of-state 747-8 will be capable of carrying up to 100 passengers and will have a range of about 8,840 nm.

According to Boeing, the 747-8 provides double-digit improvements in fuel burn and emissions over the 747-400 and is 30 percent quieter. The company also claims that with a normal cruise speed of Mach 0.86, “it is the fastest large commercial jet.”

To date, Boeing has orders for nine executive variants of the 747-8.