AviTrader sponsorship ad

Boeing bids farewell to the “Queen of the Skies” with delivery of the last commercial 747

The last Boeing 747 in Atlas Air livery ©Boeing

With the delivery of the last commercial Boeing 747 to roll off the production line at its plant at Everett, Washington, the American planemaker is closing the final chapter in an over-fifty-year history of one of the world’s most iconic aircraft. The plane has been handed over to Atlas Air.

The switch from airlines to smaller, more economical aircraft saw the last passenger 747 delivered some five years ago. According to analytics firm Cirium, there are only 44 747 jets currently in operation, down from 130 in service at the end of 2019. Many of these jets were grounded at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and have simply not returned to service, despite the Airbus A380 enjoying a current revival. However, there are still 314 747 freighters in use, according to Cirium, many of which were initially used as passenger jets before being renovated into freighters.

A literal ‘gamechanger’, the 747, also known as the “jumbo jet” revolutionized intercontinental air travel, while it was also used to provide piggy-back rides to the Space Shuttle. Our headline states that this is the delivery of the last 747 to be used for commercial purposes. However there remain two more 747s scheduled for delivery, though these are technically called VC-25s. These are destined to replace the two current 747s operating as presidential aircraft under the call sign “Air Force One” when the US president is on board. With the demise of the 747, the future plans for the Everett, Washington facilities remain uncertain. The building where the 747 was produced is claimed by Boeing to be the largest building in the world, having been purpose built for the 747. It has since served as the main production location for Boeing’s wide-body airliners, the 767, 777 and 787, but the 737 is built at the Renton, plant near Seattle.

More recently, Boeing also ceased production of the 787 Dreamliner at Everett, while the B767 is now showing signs of age and demand for the B777 remains sluggish, while everyone is waiting for the production of the B777X, which has suffered several delays and it is currently going through a certification and development process that is proving to be much lengthier and complex than expected.

Honeywell and Lufthansa Technik enhance collaboration on digital platform AVIATAR

Honeywell and Lufthansa Technik (LHT) are enhancing their collaboration on Lufthansa Technik’s digital platform AVIATAR to improve the customer experience in aviation analytics. Honeywell Connected Maintenance analytics are now being fully integrated into AVIATAR’s Predictive Health Analytics (PHA) suite, which will grow to more than 100 Predictors for multiple Airbus and Boeing aircraft types. Airline

Read More »

Delta Cargo reveals newest cooler at JFK International Airport

Delta Cargo has revealed its newest cooler at John F. Kennedy International Airport. From pharmaceuticals to flowers, perishable goods flying in and out of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport will now receive even higher-touch handling.   The new, state-of-the-art facility is the largest of its kind at JFK and offers an upgraded experience for

Read More »

Etihad Airways returns to Kolkata, India

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, touched down in Kolkata, India, on March 26, as the airline made its much-anticipated return to the city. With a total of seven-weekly nonstop services, the airline will once again connect India’s financial capital, Kolkata, with the world through Abu Dhabi. The first flight on the new

Read More »

Jet Aviation obtains FOCA approval for line maintenance in Zurich

Jet Aviation announced today that it has successfully obtained approval from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) for its line maintenance repair station in Zurich. The facility is authorised to perform line maintenance on a range of business aircraft. Jet Aviation launched line maintenance in Zurich in May 2022, under a temporary extension

Read More »

Brussels Airlines to welcome Dorothea von Boxberg as new CEO

Currently Chairperson of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG, Dorothea von Boxberg will shortly become the new CEO of Brussels Airlines. The appointment is subject to a pending resolution by the Board of Directors of SN Airholding. She is due to take up her new position on April 15 this year and will also

Read More »

Airbus delivers first A321neo from FAL Tianjin

Airbus has delivered the first A321neo aircraft assembled at its final assembly line Asia (FAL Tianjin) to China’s Juneyao Air in Tianjin, China. The aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF  engines and features 207 comfortable seats, eight in Business and 199 in Economy Class. Its delivery flight is to use a ten percent

Read More »

VTOL orders driving strong growth in aircraft industry

Aircraft orders surged by 40% last year and are set to continue to expand this year with hybrid and electric vertical take off and landing (VTOL) aircraft driving growth, new research* from industry experts Revolution.Aero shows. Its data reveals aircraft orders rose to 2,876 last year from 2,056 in 2021 with hybrid and electric VTOL

Read More »

LYTE Aviation reveals 40-seat Hybrid eVTOL – SkyBus and SkyTruck 

LYTE Aviation, the newest advanced air mobility innovator, addressing advanced urban mobility and connectivity, has revealed its 40-seat (hybrid) eVTOL SkyBus and SkyTruck programme on March 23. Its LA-44 SkyBus and complementary SkyTruck cargo variant, designed around a 4.5 tonne payload, is the accumulation of three years’ R&D. The result is a game-changing, vertical take-off and landing

Read More »

Bombardier updates 2025 strategic objectives 

Bombardier has updated its 2025 objectives. The company is now targeting more than US$9 billion in annual revenue by 2025, with an adjusted EBITDA of more than US$1,625 million and a healthy adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 18%. Bombardier also expects to generate significant free cash flow in the coming years, to the tune of more than US$900

Read More »

Magnetic Group rebrands Direct Maintenance as Magnetic Line

Magnetic Group, a fast-growing aviation company, has released that Direct Maintenance has been rebranded as Magnetic Line. This rebranding is part of Magnetic Group’s overarching strategy to unify all its businesses under a single brand – Magnetic – and streamline its products and services under one easily recognisable name. Direct Maintenance has been an integral

Read More »

Avianca – Viva Air merger gets Columbian CAA approval

Columbian flag-carrying airline Avianca and Viva Air have received merger approval from the Columbian civil aviation authority. The merger was originally proposed back in April 2022 with the intention to keep the branding and strategies separate. One of the merger conditions is that Viva Air reimburse all passengers who have been affected by flight cancellations

Read More »

Lufthansa to resume regular flight operations with Airbus A380

From June 1, Lufthansa will resume its regular flight operations with the popular Airbus A380 after a three-year interruption. Daily flights from Munich to Boston will be operated by LH424. Commencing July 4, 2023 and just in time for Independence Day, the U.S. national holiday, an A380 with flight number LH410 will take off daily

Read More »
aviation news

2023 MEDIA KIT

AviTrader Aviation Media Pack

Learn more on how AviTrader can expand your market

Please contact

Tamar Jorssen
Vice President Sales & Marketing
+1.778.213.8543
[email protected]
Mailing Address
AviTrader Publications Corp.
Suite 305, South Tower
5811 Cooney Road
Richmond, BC V6X 3M1
Canada

Subscribe to the most widely accepted news source in the aviation industry!


Free Daily, Weekly and MRO Publications delivered to your Inbox!
News Alerts, Editorials, Marketplace, Executive Interviews +more

Select publications:

*we respect your privacy and AviTrader will not share your email address to any 3rd Parties.

Scroll to Top