Maintenance platform for Boeing 747 and 747-8 hot-dip galvanised

September 2011 – To carry as many passengers or as much freight as possible, airlines use large aircrafts for intercontinental flights. One of the most widely used passenger planes is the Boeing 747-400, and the Boeing 747-8 will also go into service from early 2012 onwards. Manoeuvrable maintenance platforms that can move up and down are used for maintenance work on the engines and wings of these jumbo jets. These maintenance platforms were hot-dip galvanised by Verzinkerij Heerhugowaard.

Lufthansa is the first European airline to purchase the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. The first Lufthansa flights with this aircraft will be in early 2012. Maintenance platforms are used for work on the wings and engines of aero planes and Lufthansa has asked NIJL Aircraft Docking from Lemelerveld to modify the maintenance platforms used currently for the Boeing 747-400 so that they can also be used for the Boeing 747-8.

NIJL Aircraft Docking has built a new support structure under the current structure for the wing dock. The B747-400 and the B747-8 are not the same length, so the new structure has been put on wheels, allowing the entire dock to be moved around. The B747-8 wing flaps are lower when extended. So the height of the platform floor can be adjusted to optimise the working height for both planes. NIJL produced and modified the maintenance platforms, which were then hot-dip galvanised by Verzinkerij Heerhugowaard. In this way, NIJL and Verzinkerij Heerhugowaard are together making a sustainable contribution to the maintenance of the new Boeing 747-8.