In July 1989, BA took its first 747-400 -- the same model as flies today -- to the skies. BA’s predecessor, BOAC, first used the 747 in 1971 and as with many airlines, the plane — affectionately referred to as either the “jumbo jet” or the “queen of the skies” — became a symbol of the new age of mass travel to all corners of the planet. British Airways’ 747-400s have a capacity of 345 passengers and can reach a top speed of 614 mph (988 kph). British Airways said the retirement of its jumbo jet fleet will start on Tuesday when the first of its 31 remaining Boeing 747s takes off from Heathrow and heads to Spain to be scrapped. The airline brought forward the retirement of its fleet of 747-400 aircraft due to … British Airways is retiring its 747s © NurPhoto / Getty Images Next time you're gazing out across the tarmac at Heathrow Airport, you're going to see a much different view – namely, a dearth of the 31 747 jumbo jets that have been a part of British Airways' fleet since July of 1989. The original aircraft, which featured 27 First Class and 292 Economy seats, featured an upper deck containing a lounge. Just 30 of the planes were in service as of Tuesday, with a further 132 in storage, according to aviation data firm Cirium. British Airways retires its final 747 airplane | CNN Travel British Airways began to phase out its jumbos in December 2011, with the retirement of two of the oldest frames. But the pandemic, which has seen most of the world’s planes grounded for the best part of three months, has hastened its journey into retirement, especially as forecasters predict that passenger numbers will remain lower than normal, potentially for years to come. Other airlines have already begun phasing the model out in favor of newer, more economical aircraft. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "This is not how we wanted or expected to have to say goodbye to our incredible fleet of 747 aircraft. The airline was forced to store all of its 28 747-400s due to reduced demand in the midst of the respiratory disease pandemic. British Airways originally planned to retire the jumbo jets by 2024. While the airline c… 18 aircraft have been retrofitted with fresh seat covers and new inflight entertainment systems and will continue to fly for the next few years, with the airline aiming to accelerate the retirement once the older aircraft depart the fleet by the end of 2022. The 747 is an incredibly special plane.It changed global aviation, and it’s also the most gorgeous plane in the world, in my opinion. It’s actually the second 747 on the property, though the first has a pure-white exterior. Other companies that have recently withdrawn the aircraft type from service include Australia’s Qantas and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. They plan to phase out the aircraft in stages, with half of their 747s being phased out by 2021. British Airways will remove 13 of its 747s that did not receive a cabin retrofit from its fleet over the next four years, the last exiting the fleet in Nov. 2022. The airline is one of the last major carriers to still use the 747. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2020/07/17/ But the newly-installed CEO now touts the decision as a huge boost to British Airways’ sustainability efforts. “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect,” BA said in a statement. British Airways to retire its entire 747 fleet immediately British Airways intends to retire its entire 747 fleet ‘with immediate effect’, bringing forward the aircraft’s complete withdrawal by three years. “While the aircraft will always have a special place in our heart, as we head into the future we will be operating more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft,” BA said. The decision to retire the aircraft ahead of schedule shows the scale of the ongoing reduction in demand seen by the company from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the airplanes, G-CIVY, circled back over the runway before flying to St. Athan, Wales, to be retired, while the other, G-CIVB, will be kept at Kemble, England. Unite, a union that represents many workers in the aviation industry, urged the government to use the retirement of the 747 to bring forward an aircraft scrappage scheme to boost investments in greener aircraft as well as aerospace manufacturing. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would examine the idea of a scrappage scheme for old and highly polluting aircraft. The airline, which was the world’s biggest operator of the 747-400 model, had already planned to ground its fleet of 31 of the iconic wide-bodied jets in 2024. 18 aircraft have been retrofitted with fresh seat covers and new inflight entertainment systems and will continue to fly for the next few years, with the airline aiming to accelerate the retirement once the older aircraft depart the fleet by the end of 2022. It had 30 aircraft in its fleet prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, BA … Per FlightGlobal, IAG’s Chief Financial Officer has said that British Airways plans to retire their fleet of Boeing 747sby February 2024. BA said it was already "slowly" phasing out the "fuel-hungry" aircraft in order to help meet a commitment to "net zero by 2050.". In the U.K., British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have all announced job cuts and reduced operations. British Airways sent an email to staff late last night confirming its plans to retire its entire fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft. “British Airways’ retirement of the 747 should be the impetus he needs to put such a scheme into action,” Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy said. British Airways had originally intended on retiring the 747 in 2024, however, due to the financial burden COVID-19 has caused, the double-decker aircraft is likely done flying. British Airways Announces Immediate Retirement of 747 Fleet. We’ve seen airlines around the world retire the 747 long before the current pandemic, given that there are more fuel efficient and lower capacity long range planes nowadays.. Its days have been numbered, though, in light of new, modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as Airbus’ A350 and Boeing’s 787. British Airways will remove 13 of its 747s that did not receive a cabin retrofit from its fleet over the next four years, the last exiting the fleet in Nov. 2022. According to the carrier, the goal is to have the last Boeing 747-400 exit the fleet by Feb. 2024. BA said that the jumbo jets, one dressed in "Negus" design and the other bearing Chatham Dockyard livery, took to the skies "one after the other" from Heathrow's 27R runway. The announcement that BA is sending what remains of its 747-400 fleet into early retirement was expected, but still big news. The plane was the largest commercial aircraft in the world, until the arrival of the Airbus A380 in 2007. Well, we now have a better sense of what the future of the plane looks like. British Airways is not the first to propose a retirement of the aging Boeing 747, specifically the 747-400 version, amid the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. But earlier this year, the company released a statement to say that the planes had likely flown their last scheduled commercial service -- despite recently refreshing the interiors of the planes having expected them to remain in service for several years. LONDON (AP) — The “queen of the skies” will no longer don the red, white and blue of the Union Jack after British Airways retired its fleet of Boeing 747s on Friday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Footage from Heathrow Airport this morning shows the huge planes jetting off for the very last time. More than 1,500 jumbos were produced by Boeing, and it has historically been a commercial success for the manufacturer and the airlines. British Airways has been quietly retiring its 747-400s, shrinking from 57 in 2008 to 32 at the end of last year. British Airways the latest of Boeing 747-400 retiree, G-CIVD, to an airport in Spain tomorrow as the airline begins the retirement of its final 31 jumbo jets. British Airways Defends Its Decision To Retire 747 Matthew Klint November 4, 2020 6 Comments British Airways abruptly retired its fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft over the summer, blaming COVID-19. British Airway retired the last of its huge. The airline notified staff via letter, and subsequently publicly confirmed, its intention to … The final flight was live streamed on the airline's, There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. British Airways is to immediately retire its entire fleet of Boeing 747 passenger aircraft due to falling demand in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. "The 747s have played a huge role in our 100-year history, forming the backbone of our fleet for over 50 years. 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