Boeing 747: Final delivery of jumbo jet in December, to end production

Confirmation that the global cargo carrier is likely to receive the last Boeing 747 by December is the coffin nail of the famous jumbo jet.

This marks the end of an impressive career for the 747, which first flew in 1969 and has been in production for over half a century in various models.

Known as the “Queen of the Skies,” the 747, with its distinctive upper deck humps, was a common sight at international airports for decades.

However, the trend towards smaller, more fuel-efficient, cheaper-to-operate aircraft and the impact of Covid-19 raging on the industry has caused the 747 to fall out of favor, with many airlines removing the 747 from their fleets. Removed.

Qantas once operated 30 747s from Australia to destinations such as Los Angeles, Singapore, London, Frankfurt, Johannesburg and Santiago. but, The last jumbo jet was retired in June 2020 when the pandemic hit It was full throttle.

Final 747 delivery confirmed

New York-based Atlas Airways said its planes have been seen well in Australia and expects the remaining three 747-8 freighters to be delivered by the end of the year.

These three jets are the final standard 747s on Boeing’s order.

“The acquisition of these wide-body freighters underscores our confidence in the demand for international air cargo, especially in express, e-commerce and fast-growing global markets, and will bring significant benefits to Atlas in the years to come.” the airline said. in a statement.

Atlas Aircraft will only be followed by two 747s heavily modified by the US government to replace the current Air Force One jet. These were heavily modified and are actually known as “VC-25s” rather than 747s.

No exact date has been set for the final delivery of the regular 747, but it could take place sometime in December.

Photos of at least one of the last three planes at work at Boeing’s Seattle factory have been released.

Boeing has long pointed out that jumbo jets are on the final wing. When the Atlas Air order was announced in July 2020, the Chicago-based company said: The plane will mark the end of production.

“Although Atlas entered service 28 years ago with a single 747, it is only fitting that it receives the last production 747, ensuring that the ‘Queen of the Skies’ will dominate the global air cargo market for decades to come. We guarantee that it will play an important role,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive officer Stan Diehl said at the time.

The 747 first flew in 1969. The now-defunct PanAm was the first airline to deliver a groundbreaking aircraft that could fly more people farther than ever before.

For Australians, the so-called ‘Kangaroo Route’, with multiple stops to and from London, has been reduced to one stop halfway between the UK and Australia.

Airbus’ giant A380 Superjumbo was designed to cut grass on the 747. More than 250 were built, but by the time the A380 entered service, airlines were already tending to his two smaller aircraft rather than his four gas gasling engines.

The A380 has been in production for 17 years, with the last one leaving the production line in 2021. Qantas continues to operate Superjumbo.

The 747 was in production much longer, but was hit in the same way as the A380.

Introduced in the mid-2000s, the new version of the 747-8 was longer and larger than any other version of the jumbo jet.

Boeing hoped to sell 300 747-8s to lure customers away from the A380, but could only shift half that number. In recent decades, more passenger airlines that still wanted a jumbo chose the Airbus version over Boeing.

Two-thirds of the 747-8s were given to freight forwarders who liked their large cargo capacity.

The 747 has flown for decades and most have at least 20 years of operational life. Cargo airlines can usually survive a few more years.

However, the chances of boarding the 747 as a passenger are rapidly declining. Most major international airlines have abandoned planes altogether. Hundreds of deserted airports rusting or devouring parts.

Qantas maintains two 747s, one in Longreach, Queensland and one maintained by the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society at Shellharbour Airport, south of Sydney.

Few of the major passenger carriers still have Jumbo. These airlines are Air China, Germany’s Lufthansa, Korean Air and South Korea’s Asiana.

So whether you’re going to Beijing, Shanghai, Frankfurt or Seoul, you can take the 747.

But if you’re headed elsewhere, the 747’s days are over.