British Airways has announced that it will be retiring its fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft, fondly known as ‘The Queen of the Skies’, due to the lack of flights as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After nearly five decades of service and millions of kilometres flown around the globe, it is proposed that the airline’s remaining fleet of 31 747-400 aircraft will be retired with immediate effect as a result of the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the airline and the aviation sector, which is not predicted to recover to 2019 levels until 2023/24.
Photo credit: British Airways
“This is not how we wanted or expected to have to say goodbye to our incredible fleet of 747 aircraft. It is a heart-breaking decision to have to make.” said Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO in a statement.
“So many people, including many thousands of our colleagues past and present, have spent countless hours on and with these wonderful planes – they have been at the centre of so many memories, including my very first long-haul flight. They will always hold a special place in our hearts at British Airways.” added Cruz.
Photo credit: British Airways
BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) operated its first 747 London to New York service on 14th April 1971 and in July 1989 the first British Airways 747-400, the aircraft type the airline still flies today, took to the skies, according to British Airways.
Plane spotters who lined Heathrow’s perimeter fences would watch as the magnificent 747-400 would typically take off at 289km/h and reach cruising speeds in the sky of up to 909km/h.
For the next decade the airline took delivery of 56 more of the aircraft, with its final plane delivered in April 1999. At the time, it was the largest commercial aircraft in the world, and it remained so until the Airbus A380 first took to the skies in 2007.
The last of the 747 aircraft’s will make their final flights to airplane graveyards located in either Gloucester, Châteauroux, or Teruel, where their interior finishing’s and other useful parts will be stripped and used on other 747 aircraft still in operation, according to Lonely Planet.
Facts and stats:
- Boeing has been manufacturing 747 aircraft for more than 50 years
- BOAC flew its first 747 flight on 14th April 1971
- British Airways took delivery of its first 747-400 in July 1989 and its last in April 1999
- At its height, the airline had a fleet of 57 747-400s
- British Airways is currently the world’s biggest operator of 747-400 aircraft
- The average age of British Airways’ fleet is 23 years old
- The 747-400 has 6ft high winglets on the tips of its wings to improve efficiency
- It has 16 main wheels and two landing nose wheels
Image Credit: British Airways
