If Boeing does halt production, airlines will likely extend the service lives of their 747-8s beyond the typical lifespan of 25-30 years, Dimitroff says. “There is no equivalent replacement,” he says.
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The reason the 747–8 didn't do so was mainly because the trends of airlines changed and it came too late. To sum it up, airlines chose to either go for the 777–300ER because it was almost as large and was more guaranteed to be filled up, or they went for the A380 if they needed high capacity.
The 747-8 also incorporates advanced alloys, updated systems, and improved aerodynamic efficiency for better cruise, takeoff, and landing performance. The primary external differences between the 747-8 and the 747-400 are in wingspan and fuselage length. They are virtually the same height.
Range and fuel capacityThe range of the A380 beats the 747-8. Even though the difference is not overwhelming, it is enough to provide an advantage for ultra-long-haul operators. Even when it comes to fuel capacity, this model leads the way.
Americans were wild about aviation in the 1920s and '30s, the period between the two world wars that came to be known as the Golden Age of Flight. Air races and daring record-setting flights dominated the news. Airplanes evolved from wood-and-fabric biplanes to streamlined metal monoplanes.
There were 440 Boeing 747 aircraft in active airline service as of August 2023, comprising 0 747-100s, 2 747SPs, 19 747-200s, 4 747-300s, 261 747-400s, and 154 747-8s. These aircraft are listed by airline operators and variant in the following table.
The 747's design included a second deck extending from the cockpit back over the first third of the plane, giving it a distinctive hump that made the plane instantly recognizable and inspired a nickname, the Whale. More elegantly, the 747 became known as the Queen of the Skies.
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.
Built in 1967 to produce the mammoth jet, it remains the world's largest manufacturing plant according to Boeing. But after five decades, customer demand for the 747 eroded as Boeing and Airbus (AIR.PA) developed more fuel efficient two-engine widebody planes.
According to data from ch-aviation.com, the oldest active Boeing 747 family aircraft left in the world today is a 747-100SF that flies for the Iranian Air Force. Bearing registration 5-8103, this veteran quadjet is 52.86 years old and flew for TWA from 1970 to 1975 before being converted for usage as a freighter.
On average, an aircraft is operable for about 30 years before it has to be retired. A Boeing 747 can endure about 35,000 pressurization cycles and flights—roughly 135,000 to 165,000 flight hours—before metal fatigue sets in. 747s are retired after approximately 27 years of service.
Despite quad jets beginning to fall out of favor in the 1980s, the 747-400, which launched in 1988, remains the most popular variant to date, with 694 built until its completion in 2009. Excluding General Electric's testbed jet, 24 747-400 passenger jets remain active, though only ten are in regular passenger service.
COST. Today, the newest model of the 747, the 747-8, is on sale from Boeing for $386.8 million US. But if you are interested in buying a second hand 747-200, prices vary widely.