What plane will replace the 747?

Boeing's latest widebody is hoping to replace its most popular one. Now that the Boeing 747 program has officially come to an end with the delivery of the last 747-8F this month, we look to the future. Boeing is currently in the certification process for the 777X program, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2025.



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The Queen of the Skies makes a comeback The 747 continues in production with the 747-8. Boeing, however, announced in July that production will end when the final orders are complete. These are now all for freighter versions, with all passenger orders delivered.

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The planes are due for delivery in 2024 as part of a $3.9 billion contract. Boeing's 777X, its latest passenger plane model and projected replacement for the 747, is set for delivery in 2025.

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For some airlines, the A380 offered too much capacity, while for Emirates, the airline can't get enough of the plane. Unfortunately for Emirates (and us passengers), the days of the Airbus A380 are numbered. Airbus stopped A380 production in 2021, as there weren't sufficient orders to keep production going.

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The A380 production ended with the departure of former Airbus CEO Tom Enders due to a lack of demand; the company had 17 orders in the backlog. After Emirates cut its A380 order by 39 aircraft, leaving just 14 on the backlog, the final decision was reached to terminate production on the A380.

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“In reviewing certification records, Boeing discovered an analysis error by our supplier related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead,” said the company, referring to the portion of a plane at its nose that maintains the pressurized conditions in the cabin.

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No more 747s are being made, but Boeing notes that they're still taking flight. The 1970s version even inspired one man to build a ground-based replica. We are proud that this plane will continue to fly across the globe for years to come, Boeing's Smith said. Copyright 2023 NPR.

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Boeing's decision to halt the production of the 757 means there's no new variant ready to serve the middle market segment and long-and-thin routes. Restarting production to bring an updated 757 to market would be a monumental challenge for the manufacturer.

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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.

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The Dreamliner is a successful aircraft, still in production with more than 1600 delivered or on order. The list price for a new Boeing 787-8 is $239 million dollars. Yet even as international travel opens again for these long-range aircraft, two Dreamliners barely ten years old are waiting for the wrecker's ball.

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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.

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Airbus ended manufacture of the A380 in 2021, with just 252 of the 500 passenger double-deckers built. The plane required a crew of 23 (two pilots and 21 flight attendants), special airport gates, strengthened runways for its million-pound take-off weight, and plenty of kerosene for its four thirsty engines.

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Currently, the bragging rights for the longest flight in the world belong to Singapore Airlines' New York City to Singapore route. Its longest flight path, which connects Singapore's Changi Airport with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, 9,585 miles away, takes 18 hours and 40 minutes.

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On 16 December 2021, Emirates received its 123rd A380, which was the 251st and last delivered by Airbus. The A380's estimated $25 billion development cost was not recouped by the time Airbus ended production.

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