Boeing confirms the end of the 747

British Airways Boeing 747-400 showing the Oneworld logo at Cardiff Airport, All BA 747s have now been retired. (Image: UK Aviation Media)
British Airways Boeing 747-400 showing the Oneworld logo at Cardiff Airport, All BA 747s have now been retired. (Image: UK Aviation Media)

US airframer Boeing has confirmed that it is to cease production of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet with the last ever Boeing 747, a -8F model for UPS, expected to leave Seattle in 2022.

We broke the news of the cancellation earlier in July but Boeing confirmed the news came as it announced losses of $2.4bn as a result the Coronavirus pandemic and the worldwide grounding of its Boeing 737Max airliner family.

The Boeing 747 has been in continuous production for over 50 years starting off when the Boeing 747-100 first flew in 1969.

Since then we have gone trough the -200, -300, -400 and the -8 variants.

When the 747 was launched it was hailed as a world-shrinker and its four engines made long-haul flying faster and safer.

The Quad jets fell out of favour with airlines though as more efficient twin-engine airliners such as Boeing’s own 777 and 787 or Airbus’s A330 and A350 started to become available.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought forward the retirement of the type for many airlines including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 747-400.

The type will still be in the skies for a while as smaller airlines pick up cheaper second-hand models and of course, the global fleet of 747 freighters including UPS’s brand new Boeing 747-8Fs

About Nick Harding 2020 Articles
Nick is the senior reporter and editor at UK Aviation News as well as working freelance elsewhere. He has his finger firmly on the pulse on Aviation, not only in the UK but worldwide. Nick has been asked to speak in a professional capacity on LBC, Heart and other broadcast networks.