The GEnx-2B engine
Four GEnx-2B engines power the 747-8, sharing a core with the 787's GEnx but optimised for the 747 and fitted with noise-reducing chevrons.
The 747-8 is powered by four General Electric GEnx-2B engines. It was the first 747 offered with a single engine choice — every earlier generation let the customer pick between Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and Rolls-Royce.
Shared with the 787
The GEnx-2B shares its core and much of its technology with the GEnx-1B that powers the 787 Dreamliner, but the two are not interchangeable. The 747-8’s version has a smaller fan and is tuned for a four-engined aircraft with different thrust and installation requirements.
The commonality still matters commercially: it spreads development and support costs across two programmes, and gives operators of both types overlapping spares and maintenance knowledge.
What it delivers
Compared with the CF6 engines used on many 747-400s, the GEnx-2B offers substantially better fuel efficiency, and the improvement carries straight through to carbon emissions. Boeing’s figure for the aircraft as a whole was around 16 percent less fuel per seat than the 747-400.
Chevrons
The most recognisable feature is the sawtooth trailing edge of the nacelle. Those chevrons mix the exhaust flow with surrounding air more gradually, which cuts jet noise — one of the contributions to the 747-8’s noise footprint being about 30 percent smaller than the 747-400’s.
They are also the easiest way to identify a 747-8 from the ground, since no earlier 747 has them.
The performance improvement package
GE and Boeing continued developing the engine after entry into service. A performance-improvement package raised efficiency further, and the first 747-8 delivered with it — a Freighter for Cathay Pacific — was handed over in December 2013.
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
|---|---|
| Engines | Four General Electric GEnx-2B |
The GEnx-2B in section.General Electric 
Cathay Pacific took the first 747-8 with the performance-improvement package in December 2013.Boeing
Frequently asked questions
- What engines does the Boeing 747-8 use?
- Four General Electric GEnx-2B turbofans. Unlike earlier 747s, which offered a choice of Pratt & Whitney, General Electric or Rolls-Royce engines, the 747-8 was available with the GEnx only.
- Are the 747-8 and 787 engines the same?
- They share a core and much of their technology, but they are not identical. The 787 uses the GEnx-1B and the 747-8 the GEnx-2B, which has a smaller fan and is optimised for the 747 airframe.
More in Everything About the 747-8
The Boeing 747-8
A guide to the final 747 — the stretched fuselage, new wing, GEnx-2B engines, 787-derived flight deck and the freighter that closed the production line.
747 Timeline
A Boeing 747 chronology from the 1963 design study to the final delivery in January 2023, with rollout, first flight and delivery dates.
Fun Facts from Boeing
Boeing 747 facts and figures — six million parts, the largest building on Earth, 1,088 people on one flight, and 1,574 aircraft built over 54 years.
The 747-8 and the environment
The 747-8 meets emissions limits for hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, smoke and nitrogen oxides, with a noise footprint about 30 percent smaller than the 747-400.
The 747-8 cabin experience
Larger windows, a sculpted 787-style ceiling, LED mood lighting and a quieter cabin than any previous 747.
747-8 vs 747-400
Externally similar, mechanically different — the 747-8 has a longer fuselage, a new wing, higher-bypass engines and a higher gross weight than the 747-400.