End confirmed for iconic Boeing 747 jumbo jet

The Queen of the Skies has reigned supreme for more than 50 years. But the end for the iconic jumbo is just weeks away.

The end of production of possibly the world’s best known aeroplane is all but certain to occur in just a few months’ time.

Confirmation a global cargo airline will likely receive its final Boeing 747 by December is the nail in the coffin for the famed jumbo jet.

It will end a remarkable run for the 747, which first flew in 1969 and, through its various models, has been in constant production for more than half a century.

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

But the trend towards smaller more fuel efficient aircraft that are cheaper to run, as well as the savaging Covid-19 took to the industry, saw the 747 fall out of favour with many airlines removing them from their fleets.

Qantas once operated 30 747s flying from Australia to destinations including Los Angeles, Singapore, London, Frankfurt, Johannesburg and Santiago. But it retired its final jumbo jet in June 2020 when the pandemic was in full throttle.

Want to stream your news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

Atlas Air cargo airlines will be the final customer of the standard 747. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Final 747 deliveries confirmed

New York based Atlas Air, whose planes are often seen in Australia, has said it expects its three remaining 747-8 Freighters to be delivered by the end of the year.

The trio of jets is the final standard 747 deliveries on Boeing’s order books.

“Acquiring these wide body freighters underscores our confidence in the demand for international airfreight capacity, particularly in express, e-commerce and fast-growing global markets, and will drive strong returns for Atlas in the years ahead,” said the airline in a statement.

All that will be left to be constructed following the Atlas Air planes will be two heavily modified 747s for the US Government to replace the current Air Force One jets. These are so modified they are actually known not as 747s but “VC-25s”.

While there is no exact date set for the last handover of a regular 747 aeroplane, it’s likely to happen during December.

Pictures have emerged of at least one of the three last planes being worked on at Boeing’s Seattle factory.

Iconic US airlines PanAm was the first 747 customer.

A replacement for Air Force One, heavily modified Boeing 747 actually known as a VC-25, will be the very final 747-type aircraft built. / AFP PHOTO / NICOLAS ASFOURI

Boeing has for some time flagged that the jumbo jet was on its last wings. In July 2020, when the Atlas Air ordered was announced, the Chicago-based firm said the planes would mark the end of production.

“Atlas Air began operations 28 years ago with a single 747 and it is fitting that they should receive the last 747 production aeroplanes, ensuring that the ‘Queen of the Skies’ plays a significant role in the global air cargo market for decades to come,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive officer Stan Deal said at the time.

747-8F line 1572 for Atlas Air was rolled out of the factory tonight pic.twitter.com/0fqwT1HKsV

— Paine Airport (@mattcawby) August 1, 2022

The 747 first flew in 1969. The now defunct PanAm was the inaugural airline to take delivery of the ground breaking plane which could fly more people further afield than ever before.

For Australians, it helped reduce the so-called “kangaroo route” with its multiple stops to and from London to just a single stop halfway between the UK and Australia.

The Airbus A380 has already ended production but, unlike the 747, is still in use by Qantas. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Airbus’ giant A380 superjumbo was designed to cut the 747’s grass. More than 250 were built but by the time the A380 went into service, airlines were already tending to look to smaller aircraft with two rather than four gas guzzling engines.

Production of the A380 lasted 17 years with the final one rolling off the production line in 2021. Qantas continues to operate the superjumbo.

While the 747 was in production for far longer, it too was buffeted by the same forces as the A380.

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

Qantas 747 plane VH-OEJ as it departs Sydney for the last time in June 2020. Picture: Christian Gilles

Boeing hoped to sell 300 747-8s, taking customers away from the A380, but it managed to shift barely half that number. Of the passenger airlines that still wanted jumbos in recent decades, more opted for Airbus’ version than Boeing’s.

Two thirds of the 747-8s went to cargo carriers who liked it for its ability to swallow huge amounts of freight.

Lufthansa is one of the few airlines to still operate 747s. (Photo by Daniel ROLAND / AFP)

The 747 will fly for decades to come with most airframes having at least a twenty year operational life. Cargo airlines can usually eke out a few more years yet.

But the chances of flying as a passenger on-board a 747 are rapidly dwindling. Most major international airlines have ditched the planes altogether. Hundreds are rusting away in remote airports or being devoured for parts.

Qantas has two 747s preserved, one in Longreach, Queensland and the other is looked after by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at Shellharbour Airport, south of Sydney.

Of the big passenger carriers, few still have the jumbo in their fleets. These airlines are Air China, Germany’s Lufthansa, Korean Air and Korea’s Asiana.

So if you’re flying to Beijing, Shanghai, Frankfurt or Seoul you might still catch a ride on a 747.

But if you’re headed elsewhere the days of the 747 are already up.