Yesterday I broke the sad news that BA staff had been told that the airline’s B747 would be retired immediately with no more commercial flights due to take place. Today BA has formally confirmed this in a press release:
Today (Friday July 17, 2020) British Airways announces, with great sadness, that its fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft, fondly known as ‘The Queen of the Skies’, are likely to have flown their last scheduled commercial service.
After nearly five decades of service and millions of miles 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 devasting 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.
Just a year ago, British Airways lovingly re-painted four of its jumbo jets in heritage colours to mark the company’s centenary. The BOAC jet put in a guest appearance with the Red Arrows much to the delight of spectators at the Royal International Air Tattoo, and sadly the aircraft will shortly be heading towards its final resting place alongside 30 others.
The fuel-hungry aircraft were slowly being phased out by British Airways as they reached the end of their working life in order to help meet the company’s commitment to net zero by 2050. The airline has invested heavily in new, modern long-haul aircraft including six A350s and 32 787s which are around 25 per cent more fuel-efficient than the 747. As part of the airline’s £6.5 billion injection into customer experience in recent years, existing aircraft have been refurbished and the brand new arrivals have come into the British Airways’ fleet complete with a luxurious business class Club Suite product.
Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “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. 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.
“We have committed to making our fleet more environmentally friendly as we look to reduce the size of our business to reflect the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on aviation. As painful as it is, this is the most logical thing for us to propose. The retirement of the jumbo jet will be felt by many people across Britain, as well as by all of us at British Airways. It is sadly another difficult but necessary step as we prepare for a very different future.”
BOAC 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.
Plane spotters who lined Heathrow’s perimeter fences would watch as the magnificent 747-400 would typically take off at 180mph and reach cruising speeds in the sky of up to 565mph.
For the next decade the airline took delivery of 56 more of the aircraft, with its final plane delivered in April 1989. 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.
At one point British Airways operated 57 747-400 aircraft. The original aircraft featured 27 First Class seats and 292 Economy seats. Initially, the upper deck, widely described as the bubble, contained a lounge, with lounge chair seating. It was known as the ‘club in the sky’ and the aircraft also played host to the world’s very first flat bed seat which British Airways pioneered in 1999.
Today’s aircraft can seat up to 345 customers in four classes – First, Club World (Business), World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and World Traveller (Economy). British Airways recently refreshed the interiors of a number of its 747 aircraft which were expected to remain in service for several years to come.
The airline’s jumbo jets are currently grounded at various locations in the UK and are now only expected to reach heights of 35,000 feet as they make their final journeys.
So far there has been no mention of any events to send the B747 off in style like Qantas did. When BA tried to do some commercial flights with the retro B747s to celebrate the centenary, the environmentalist police were out of force, not helped at all by Simon Calder of The Independent. The flights sadly got cancelled after the negative publicity. In the grand scheme of things a couple of flights to say goodbye to a historic aircraft is a drop in the ocean in terms of carbon emissions. I really hope BA do something to say goodbye. After all, those concerned about the environment can join in the celebrations as one of the less efficient aircraft gets retired!
In this post:
B747 interesting facts
- 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
- The wings of a 747-400 span 213ft and are big enough to accommodate 50 parked cars
- The tail height of 64ft is equivalent to a six-storey building
- The 747-400 is 231ft long
How many B747s are left in service?
Aviation data and analytics expert Cirium, which reveals how many were in service or in storage – as of July 14, 2020 – before BA’s announcement. Rob Morris, Global Head of Consultancy at Ascend by Cirium carried out the analysis.
According to Cirium there is currently a total of 502 747s in service, in storage or on order with airlines. Of this total, there are:
- Passenger – 30 in service and 132 in storage
- Cargo – 308 in service and 24 in storage (with 15 on order)
Meaning passenger 747s account for only 9% of those in service currently and 85% of those in storage. Cargo 747s account for 93% of those in service currently and 15% of those in storage.
The 747 fleet in airline service peaked in July 1998 with 986 aircraft actively flown :
Our memories of the B747
Claudio on the buddy seatOne of the best flights I had was part of the great Phoenix tier point run of August 2018. Claudio and I travelled in First on the B747 and had a wonderful time with the fun and friendly crew. He did find the buddy seat a bit of a squeeze though! You can read the full review here.
Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
My favorite B747 experience was definitely Club World on the Upper Deck. There was always something that felt exclusive about being upstairs in the smaller cabin. For some reason, it was always quieter in terms of noise from passengers, probably because only those in the know selected the upper deck. My favourite seat was 62A, but I know many that preferred 64K as well. I liked the openness of 62A. The old Club seats were not an issue here, no one to step over you or vice versa.
The side bin upstairs had so much storage and made a handy side table as well!
Paul and I were lucky enough to attend the arrival of the first retrojet for BA’s centenary – the BOAC B747.
Paul was also able to head over to Dublin to see the Landor retro jet as well.
Our most recent review was from guest writer Zine who flew on the B747 World Traveller in February this year.
My favourite photo from a B747 is this one taken by Paul on his World Traveller Plus trip to New York.
12 comments
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I enjoy TLFL a lot, but I’m a bit perplexed about the eulogies to the 747. Unarguably it changed long haul flying, but it’s as relevant to aviation now as a Ford Cortina. From a passenger perspective, the favourite rides are, in order, the A350, the A380 and the B787. Like many queens, it’s showing its wrinkles and costing a lot to keep on its throne. I think, when types get nicknames, they gain some sort of unwarranted kudos. The Queen of the skies….the Dreamliner (or Screamliner when the batteries caught fire in the early days) are just pieces of flying equipment and what matters is what airlines do to make a trip memorable.
Thanks, as always, for the blog…..I love reading it.
I think it was the fact that it had some unique features that don’t appear on any other planes – the small cabin upstairs that always seemed far quieter and relaxed than other aircraft. The ability to sit in the nose in 1A/F and look down the runway on takeoff was incredible (as was hearing the hailstorm hitting the nosecone just in front of you). That for me is what makes me sad about the 747 going.
The state of the cabin in many of BA’s old 747s less so – never seen so much mastic filler in my life…
The fact that you are perplexed James says much more about you than the “eulogies” given to such an iconic and groundbreaking plane, by people who know what they’re talking about
The staircase to the upper deck on a 747 is more glamorous than the A380 version. I will still be on 747″s though….
I think it was the fact that it had some unique features that don’t appear on any other planes – the small cabin upstairs that always seemed far quieter and relaxed than other aircraft. The ability to sit in the nose in 1A/F and look down the runway on takeoff was incredible (as was hearing the hailstorm hitting the nosecone just in front of you). That for me is what makes me sad about the 747 going.
The state of the cabin in many of BA’s old 747s less so – never seen so much mastic filler in my life…
Does anyone know what the last commercial flight was?
You can run the flight codes through flight radar to see. The one I flew home in stopped service when we landed on March 16th from JFK
Travelled from JFK-LHR in 1A on the 16th March 2020 on G-CIVZ. It’s sad to think that that was the last time that plane ever had paying passengers on board (went straight into storage afterwards)
The service and crew were amazing and the 747 was stunning. Sad end to a stunning aircraft
Loved the bubble too and @James I agree with your order of aircraft favourites. Sadly my last flight on a 747 was from YVR in F and it wasn’t a good one. The cabin was really bad. The seat area was dirty and the galley clearly needed new ovens as the food was appalling. The IFE was sporadic. I had hoped BA might be in the market for some second hand A380’s but that can’t be likely now. NOT a fan of the 787- I don’t know what all the fuss is about- A 350 all the way! A sad time for BA staff though and after seeing good improvements, I’m appalled at the way the airline is treating its people- this is not just crew but Management . People are your greatest resource Willie.
Sad to the see the 747 go, she may not be the quietest ride these days like an A380 or 350, but just very comfortable in economy especially cheap mans economy if you managed to get 4 seats to yourself in the days when planes weren’t totally full. Seeing her come in to land or take off was always majestic. She always looked so graceful and sleek, and the lines were beautiful. The A380 is a great plane, but looks so awkward in the air. The 747 looks like a graceful swan, the A380 a fat waddling duck. We are too ready to just discard previous architectural wonders, in the modern age of the newest toy. I personally think she should be remembered for her beautiful lines, and opening up the world to economy passengers. She will be missed.
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