It's the end of an era — after over fifty years in production, the final Boeing 747 has left the production line at Boeing’s enormous Everett factory in Washington State
Affectionately dubbed the ‘Jumbo Jet’ and the ‘Queen of the Skies,’ the iconic 747 was once the largest commercial jet in the world and the first to offer two aisles. Its distinctive second-floor bulge made it instantly recognisable, and the aircraft quickly became the go-to global choice for long-range flying.
The first 747, produced in 1969, took more than 50,000 employees and 16 months to complete. Over 1,570 have been built since, and the final aircraft will be used as a cargo carrier for Atlas Air. The last commercial passenger 747 jet was delivered to Korean Airlines in 2017.
Pan Am was the first airline to fly the 747 and 69 other other carriers also bought the Jumbo.
As well as carrying cargo or around 500 passengers on commercial flights, the Jumbo has most notably been used as the US Presidential Air Force One — as it has done since 1990 and will continue to do so with two ready-assembled 747 aircraft undergoing next-generation upgrades as the future Presidential jets.
The aircraft was so powerful it could even transport Nasa’s Space Shuttle from California to its launch sites in Florida. And up to date, a repurposed 747-400 — dubbed ‘Cosmic Girl’ — is currently being used at Newquay Airport, England, as the launch vessel for the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne space programme, due to launch in the coming weeks.
Several international airlines still use the Boeing 747 commercially, including Lufthansa — currently operating 23 Jumbo’s — but the advent of the twin-engine, fuel-efficient and profitable widebody aircraft has seen the demise of the graceful giant.
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