Whilst it's rare to see a 727 in the air these days, there are still some rare flying examples operating in unique roles. Let's take a look at the background and outlook for the iconic Boeing trijet.
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The Boeing 727, once a popular passenger aircraft, is now mostly used by cargo carriers and military air forces around the world. Only five 727s currently remain for passenger service, with two owned by the Mexican Guardia National.
The Boeing 747 is becoming increasingly rare at airports around the world – at least in the passenger version. More and more airlines are retiring the queen of the skies. The coronavirus pandemic in particular has radically accelerated this process in some cases.
Sure, the 747 is a Type Certified and airworthy aircraft, the FAA does not really care who owns it so long as they play by the rules. Boeing even sells them directly to the private market via their BBJ line. There are even a few used ones listed for sale right now.
How many A380s are still flying? As of May 2023, about 130 A380s are in service - but several airlines plan to reactivate more aircraft during the year. For example, all Emirates Airbus A380s are expected to be back in service by the end of the year.
Most 747s are passenger jets, and a small percentage are cargo jets with nose doors. The first full double-deck jet airliner is the Airbus A380, which has two passenger decks extending the full length of the fuselage, as well as a full-length lower third deck for cargo. It entered regular service in late-October 2007.
The Design Cruise Speed (VC) was 530 knots (610 miles per hour/981 kilometers per hour) at 25,000 feet (0.88 Mach). The airplane was certified with a Maximum Mach Number (MMO) of 0.92 Mach (this was later reduced to 0.90 Mach). (During flight testing, a Boeing 727 achieved 0.965 Mach in level flight.)