Four passenger airlines have 47 747sGiven Rossiya's 747s remain grounded, only Lufthansa, Korean Air, Air China, and Asiana still use passenger-configured 747s in airline operations.
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Boeing 747-400
Air China (CA)
Asiana Airlines (OZ)
Lufthansa (LH)
Mahan Air (W5)
Saudia (SV; Leased Boeing 747-400 for Hajj service between March and May 2023)
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.
Thirteen passenger configured 747-400s are currently in VIP service for government and military transport, primarily in the Middle East, though five remain in service in China, Korea, and the United States.
Four passenger airlines have 47 747sGiven Rossiya's 747s remain grounded, only Lufthansa, Korean Air, Air China, and Asiana still use passenger-configured 747s in airline operations. According to ch-aviation: Lufthansa has 19 747-8s and eight 747-400s.
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.
In December 2017, Delta became the last U.S. airline to retire the Boeing 747, ending 47 years of service by Northwest Airlines and Delta combined. Last U.S. departure, DL159A, left Detroit on December 18, arriving at Seoul-Incheon on December 19. It was a recovery flight for the original Dec.
Fleet data from IBA Insight reveals 346 active Boeing 747 family aircraft in service worldwide as of 31 January 2023. Other prolific operators include UPS (41 aircraft) Cargolux (29 aircraft) and Lufthansa (27 aircraft).
But after five decades, customer demand for the 747 eroded as Boeing and Airbus (AIR.PA) developed more fuel efficient two-engine widebody planes. When Boeing confirmed in July 2020 that it would end 747 production, it was already only producing at a rate of half an aircraft a month.
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.
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.
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.
The average hourly cost to charter a Boeing 747 airliner comes in around $35,000 per hour, but that price can fluctuate based on demand, aircraft location, and more.
The German carrier operates more passenger 747s than the rest of the world's airlines combined, with eight 747-400s and 19 747-800 models still flying. All those aircraft are being used on Lufthansa's long-haul routes in East Asia, South Africa and North and South America.
Eight airlines are operating the Airbus A380 during February 2023, led by Emirates Airline which has some 1.9 million available seats onboard the aircraft this month. The Dubai-based carrier has a fleet of 121 A380s, of which 87 are in operation at the present time.
Atlas Air is in the first place. The airline is currently the largest user of the 747 in the world. This charter and cargo carrier has been using the B747 since its inception in 1992. To date, 105 aircraft of this type have passed through the airline's fleet.
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.
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.
Boeing 747-8 Freighter: The last Boeing 747 left the company's widebody factory in Washington on December 6, 2022, ahead of its delivery to Atlas Air in early 2023.
November 27, 1983: An Avianca 747-200 crashed while on approach to the airport in Madrid, Spain, killed 181 of the 192 people on board. June 23, 1985: An Air India 747-200 blew up over the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, killed all 329 people on board. The plane, en-route to Bombay, was destroyed by a bomb.