The 'Queen of the Skies' to fly no more for British Airways - BA axes 747 fleet

The UK's leading legacy carrier, British Airways, has confirmed it will be axing its Boeing 747 fleet from immediate effect. 

A British Airways 747 takes off                                      Photo Credit Nick MorrishBritish Airways

BA is one of the largest passenger operators of the type in the world, having over 30 aircraft in its fleet, however, the downturn in business following the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis means the airline no longer needs the jumbo plane on its services. 

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect," a spokesperson for the airline told the media on Friday morning,  adding; "It is unlikely our magnificent 'queen of the skies' will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic," 

The carrier already had plans to retire these 'Queen of the Skies' over the next four or so years, but the financial constraints on the company plus its self-induced antagonistic relations with staff have seen its forecast passenger numbers to remain low for the next four years at least. Mean these graceful big lumps have now flown their last regular scheduled flights for the airline.

British Airways and its forebears have had a long history with the 747's through the decades and with its various models, "Our first 747 was received in 1971 when we were known as BOAC. However, the current model being retired is the 747-400, which is the aircraft we first received in 1989." the BA spokesperson told us. Indeed over the years, the four-engined beast had been a mainstay of the carriers long-haul fleet, which at its peak, numbered  57 747 flying in BA colours.

Qantas plans special flights to say goodbye to the Queen of the skies.

The Australian carrier Qantas has announced a special programme of events to say farewell to its last remaining Boeing 747!

The airline will operate three one-hour “farewell jumbo joy flights” departing from Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, in response to requests from employees and customers for one final chance to fly on the iconic Queen of the skies aircraft.

Qantas 747 Fleet Captain Owen Weaver said the 747 has a special place in the hearts of many Australians.

“The 747 has been a magnificent aircraft and it’s fitting that we celebrate the end of five decades of history-making moments for the national carrier and aviation in Australia,” Captain Weaver said.

“Since the first 747 joined the Qantas fleet in 1971, these aircraft have operated numerous rescue flights to bring Australians home during times of crisis and provided a safe passage for many travellers taking their first international flight to or from Australia. These three flights will offer the final opportunity to fly on the Qantas 747 before it leaves, with some of our frequent flyers and aviation enthusiasts as fond of the aircraft as we are, having spent thousands of hours onboard over the years. There is an enormous amount of nostalgia and affection associated with our 747 and for those who miss out on a seat on the flight, they will at least be able to catch a glimpse of the aircraft as it takes to Australian skies for the last time.”

The end of the line for the jumbo.........

The jumbo is coming to the end of the line.....

The US aviation giant Boeing along with its numerous suppliers agreed on the number of parts it would need for the last 747's to be built more than a year ago, according to industry sources reported Reuters this weekend.

If confirmed,  this would mean the end of the jumbo,  the hump,  the lump,  the big bird, the queen of the skies and the stalwart of long-haul passenger jet transport of the '70s and '80s, in two years time. 

Boeing President and Bill Allen and Pan Am CEO Juan Trippe (right) celebrate the launch of the Boeing 747 “Jumbo Jet” in 1968.Photo Boeing

For many a long year the instantly recognizable 747 has plied the major air routes of the world, first as a passenger jet and then as a giant delivery truck, which, it can be argued kept the production line ticking along, longer than should have been expected.

Now the end of the line for these big beasts of aeronautical wonder is in sight,  but not just insight,  it is just around the corner.  The last order for a passenger version came in 2017 -  but not from an airline,  but U.S. administration needing a recognizably American replacement for the modified 747-200s that became the Boeing VC-25s which are perhaps wrongly better known as 'Air Force One'.  So, a couple of 747-8 jets from cancelled orders are being repurposed, modified and made into flying command posts for the next U.S. President.

East Midlands Airport welcomes UK’s only direct China/UK air cargo service

East Midlands Airport, home to the UK’s largest dedicated air cargo operation, is now served by a weekly Hong Kong to EMA cargo flight. The route has been introduced by DHL Express in response to increasing business demand for shipments from Asia.

Photo Nikki Davy

The new service is currently the UK’s only dedicated cargo flight to the UK from China carrying goods exclusively for the UK.

Operated by the iconic Boeing 747-8 Queen of the Skies, one of the most fuel-efficient freighters currently available, with a cargo capacity of 130 tonnes, the flight departs Hong Kong on Fridays arriving at East Midlands Airport on Sunday. Shipments enter the delivery cycle to be distributed across the UK on Monday morning. 95% of the goods on board are time-critical products, from medical and industrial supplies to consumer e-commerce shipments.

In addition to the Hong Kong - EMA route, DHL Express has also introduced two additional new routes from JFK Airport and Miami International into EMA and, later this month, a new flight from EMA to Los Angeles will also be introduced. These routes are in response to the growing demand for time-critical deliveries from the USA, ensuring the DHL Express network continues to provide the best possible connectivity and service for customers at this critical time.

KLM and Philips establish special cargo air bridge between Amsterdam and China, bringing to Boeing 747 Combi's out of retirement

The loss of around 90% of flights between Europe and Asia has resulted in a major shortage of cargo capacity. Meanwhile, the corona crisis has prompted an enormous need for the rapid transportation of medical equipment and other supplies between the United States, Europe and China. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has now joined hands with Royal Philips and the Dutch government to create a special cargo air bridge between the Netherlands and China. In addition to these parties, many others are seeking additional capacity. The air bridge to Asia will be launched.​

To maintain this vital cargo air bridge for the coming six to eight weeks, KLM will specially redeploy Boeing 747 Combi equipment for the service between the Netherlands and China. This air bridge will ensure continuous availability of special cargo capacity, with two weekly flights to Beijing and three weekly flights to Shanghai. This will ensure around 250 tonnes of extra cargo capacity each way per week.

The flights will supplement the current “skeleton schedule” that took effect on 29 March, with two weekly flights to Beijing and two weekly flights to Shanghai, operated with Boeing 787s and 777s.

Qantas takes a 'jumbo' sized freight delivery.

Qantas Freight has welcomed a new addition to its fleet with the first of two Boeing 747-8F freighter aircraft touching down in Sydney today.

The next generation freighters will be operated by Atlas Air, on behalf of Qantas. Each aircraft offers 20 per cent more freight capacity and space for seven extra cargo pallets compared to the 747-400F.

Qantas Freight Executive Manager Paul Jones said the arrival of the 747-8F aircraft would better meet customer demand for freight capacity around the globe.

“More capacity and better reliability means we can continue to deliver for our customers in Australia and around the globe,” Mr Jones said.

“These aircraft have a far better environmental footprint, producing less carbon emissions and offering greater efficiency, something that we know is really important to our customers.”

The Red Arrows and BOAC...........

A truly spectacular sight in the skies over the Royal International Air Tattoo on Saturday, July 20.

Spectators at the world’s largest military air show delighted at a fly-past by a specially decorated British Airways jumbo jet and The Red Arrows.

Flight BA100 lead the display at the Royal International Air Tattoo on Saturday, July 20 and was flanked by nine Hawk jets belonging to the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, who trailed British Airways' signature red, white and blue colours.

The special Boeing 747 has been painted in the airline’s predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) livery to mark British Airways’ centenary this year.

More photos below. 

KLM introduce wireless entertainment on its 747s and gets ready for a key annual general meeting

KLM 747-400         Photo KLM

At the start of April, the Royal Dutch Airline, passengers flying on the firms Boeing 747-400s can stream a selection of inflight entertainment offerings directly to their own mobile devices.

KLM’s wireless entertainment system offers passengers a choice of more than two hundred films and TV series. Using a server on the aircraft, passengers can stream content to their laptops, smartphones, or tablets free of charge. KLM’s partner AirFi is providing the accessible, innovative system.

The fourth and final British Airways historic retro liveries takes to the skies.

Leaving Dublin                     Photo British Airways

Another slice of history landed at London Heathrow today as the fourth and final British Airways heritage livery came home.

The Boeing 747 resplendent in the iconic Negus livery arrived at Heathrow after being painted in Dublin and turned many heads and admiring glances. The Negus livery was painted on the airline's aircraft between 1974-1980 and had been voted one of the best airline liveries in history.

The arrival of the aircraft rounds off a nostalgic few weeks for the aviation community as recently enthusiasts, passengers and airport workers have been treated to a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) liveried Boeing 747, a British European Airways (BEA) Airbus 319 and a British Airways Landor 747. Those three aircraft have collectively flown to more than 30 destinations across the UK, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America.

The Negus-liveried 747-400, registration G-CIVB, entered the IAC paint bay at Dublin Airport earlier this month where it was painted with the first version of the Negus livery which adorned the British Airways fleet from 1974-1980, directly after the merger of BOAC and BEA and the formation of the airline that customers know today. The aircraft's first commercial flight in the new old livery is a flight to Cape Town this efvening. 

Photo Stuart Bailey

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “Reintroducing four heritage designs in to our fleet has been an incredibly nostalgic time for us and our customers, we’re impressed at how popular they’ve been.  In our centenary year it’s important that we celebrate our past, and we also have big plans to look to the future. I’m excited about what the rest of this year has in store.”

When it initially flew, the Negus livery was the first to carry “British Airways” since 1939, when the original British Airways Limited merged with Imperial Airways to form BOAC. Interestingly, the Union Flag is not present on the side of the aircraft as, like the final BEA aircraft livery, the flag began to be fully celebrated on the aircraft’s tailfin instead.

Which is your favourite BA heritage livery?

British Airways reveal the fourth historic livery........

                                             There was a fair amount of speculation in the UK aviation world in the last few weeks regarding which livery from the past would be the last to be revisited by British Airways.  To mark the carriers 100th birthday they have evoked memories of times gone by with a set of historic and dare I say, classic aircraft paint jobs.  

                                     First, there was a British Overseas Airways Corporate (BOAC) liveried Boeing 747, a British European Airways (BEA) Airbus 319 and a British Airways Landor 747, all of which are already flying. The fourth historic design was kept a closely guarded secret for a number of weeks,  many hoped it wouldn't be one of the disastrous 'world' images that were much derided by passengers, executives and politicians. 

However, the wait is over, the fourth and final design has been announced by the UK's leading legacy airline and it is the Negus design which will be applied to a Boeing 747.

                                    The 747-400, registration G-CIVB, entered the IAC paint bay at Dublin Airport last Saturday where it is being repainted with the first version of the Negus livery which adorned the British Airways fleet from 1974-1980, directly after the merger of BOAC and BEA and the formation of the airline customers know today.

Retro livery makes its debut for British Airways at London Heathrow

Monday, February 18, 2019 – Large crowds gathered at Heathrow today to watch the much-anticipated arrival of a British Airways Boeing 747 painted in the iconic design of its predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

The aircraft entered the IAC paint bay at Dublin Airport on February 5 where it was stripped of its current British Airways Chatham Dockyard design before being repainted with the BOAC livery which adorned the BOAC fleet between 1964 and 1974.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “The enormous interest we’ve had in this project demonstrates the attachment many people have to British Airways’ history. It’s something we are incredibly proud of, so in our centenary year it’s a pleasure to be celebrating our past while also looking to the future. We look forward to many more exciting moments like this as our other aircraft with heritage designs enter service.”

Why the Boeing 747 ‘Queen of the Skies’ will always reign supreme

KLM’s Boeing 747 will be retiring after 50 years of loyal service. Fans of this magnificent machine have been awaiting the phase-out with a heavy heart for some time. I am also dreading the departure of the Grand Old Lady, which got me wondering why people develop such warm feelings for an aircraft. Is it the looks, the impressive dimensions? Is it the comfort or just nostalgia playing tricks?

Renata Beck of KLM takes a little look back on the “Queen of the Skies” which has been the backbone of the KLM fleet for 50 years and the favourite of many cabin crew and passengers alike.

A legend celebrates its birthday: the Jumbo Jet turns 50

It’s been 50 years since the first Boeing 747-100 took off over Seattle on its official maiden flight on February 9th, 1969 – to the cheers of thousands of spectators. The Boeing 747-100 was the largest jet airliner the world had ever seen.                                

On February 9th, 1969, the first Boeing 747-100 took off on its first official flight over Seattle

On April 26th, 1970, Lufthansa’s first Boeing 747-130 took off from Frankfurt on its first scheduled flight to New York

Lufthansa Boeing 747                      Photo Webwire

The success story of the Boeing 747 aircraft family started in the mid-60s, when Boeing developed a wide-body jet as an answer to the growing aviation needs. After less than four years of planning and development, in which Lufthansa engineers also took part, the jet, built from around six million individual parts, was ready to take to the skies.

The first Boeing 747-130 with the Lufthansa registration “D-ABYA” carried the production number 12. The “Yankee Alpha”, as it was called within the company, was handed over to Lufthansa on March 9th, 1970 and was deployed on the Frankfurt-New York route for the first time on April 26th, 1970. Lufthansa was the first European airline to provide its passenger the opportunity to fly by Jumbo Jet, being the second international airline following Pan American World Airways (PanAm).

Retro BOAC livery coming soon to a British Airways 747

An images of history will soon be flying from London Heathrow from the middle of February when British Airways will start flying a Boeing 747 painted in the much-admired design of its predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

The livery from the 1964 – 1974 BOAC era will adorn a B747, reg: G-BYGC. The aircraft will leave the paint shop in Dublin and arrive in to Heathrow on February 18, before entering service the following day. This coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Boeing 747 flight only a few days earlier. 

The iconic livery of the forerunner to the current British Airways will bring back many happy memories for those over a certain age. It echoes a time when air travel was seen as a more enchanting and romantic activity that the chore that must be endured to get from B to C and D to A that it is these days.  The BOAC livery was, dare I venture, classy at the time and indeed, looks classy even now,  perhaps some might see it as inspiration for the current Lufthansa livery, or at least comparable to many other airlines around at the moment. 

The BOAC 747 will be the first aircraft to receive a popular design from British Airways’ past with more details of further designs to be revealed in due course. Aircraft which receive the retro liveries will fly British Airways’ routes, proudly showcasing some of the popular designs as part of the airline’s centenary celebrations.

Atlas Air Worldwide Announces Expanded 747-400F Service For Nippon Cargo Airlines

One of the world's leading cargo airlines, Atlas Air has expanded its strategic agreement with Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) to add three NCA-owned Boeing 747-400 Freighters to the existing operation, bringing the total number of 747-400Fs operated on behalf of NCA to five.

The incremental aircraft will be operated on key routes across the fast-growing transpacific market, and are scheduled to enter service in April, July and September 2019.

“We are delighted to grow our partnership with Nippon Cargo Airlines,” said William J. Flynn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlas Air Worldwide. “NCA has selected Atlas Air to operate its entire 747-400F fleet, and we look forward to continuing to provide NCA and its customers with an unmatched service and a platform for future global expansion.”

British Airways adds a remembrance poppy to a Boeing 747

In the centenary year of the end of the First World War, UK airline British Airways has added an 8foot by 8foot remembrance poppy to the rear fuselage section of one of the carriers Boeing 747 aircraft.

"It’s important that our aircraft carries the poppy as it is a national symbol of remembrance, and as a national carrier, we should take pride in remembering those that have fallen in all conflicts, new or old, for our country.

We have many colleagues that have served or are still serving in Reservist or Cadet forces roles and it is also a thank you to them for their hard work and dedication to the country." said Tom Deary, a British Airways Engineer, Sergeant in 381 Squadron and a former RAF Aircraft Technician.

Every year, Tom co-rallies 100 volunteers from across the airline, alongside members of the armed forces, to sell poppies at Heathrow, with the proceeds going to the Royal British Legion.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “We are so proud of the millions of people who represented Britain a century ago. Flying the poppy on our aircraft will help us carry the spirit of remembrance across the globe in their honour.”

Collections will take place at Heathrow Terminal 3 and 5, at arrivals and departures and there is a Remembrance Wall being displayed in Terminal 5 between 1st and 11th November. British Airways staff will also observe the national two-minute silence held on the 11th November, at 10.55am, all British Airways staff will pause ground operations and engines will be shut down to observe the silence- wherever that is possible.

Pictured above and proudly posing with the airline’s poppy artwork are British Airways’ Poppy Day volunteers: Cabin crew Emily Rowlands, Flight Planner Kai Burman, Customer Services Manager Andrea Popkess, Cabin Mechanic Tom Deary (centre), cabin crew Sophie Fox and Fleet Planning Engineer James Hill'.

Find out more details on the Poppy Appeal here.

Visit the Poppy Shop here.

British Airways adds a remembrance poppy to a Boeing 747

British Airways' Dreamflight takes off again......

It was chocks away again for another British Airways Dreamflight took to the skies making lifelong memories and smiles on the faces of the hundreds of children, who all have a serious illness or disability that had been welcomed onboard.

Every year Dreamflight raises funds to enable a British Airways 747 to fly almost 200 children to Florida to enjoy a fun packed ten-day trip. On the trip, they spend time at attractions including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Universal Studios. 

Singer-songwriter Una Healy mingled and took selfies with the children before they boarded the special jet. “It is a pleasure to be part of such an inspiring event at the British Airways hangar this morning. Dreamflight does amazing work and it’s great to meet the children, hear their stores and see the excitement on their faces. I’m sure they’ll have a trip to remember.” Una Healy said.

British Airways supports the Dreamflight team each year to help give the departure a party atmosphere. An army of volunteers donned superhero outfits, including dressing up as Stormtroopers to wow the children, while the Air Cadet National Marching Band performed popular hangar-roof-raising songs. British Airways cabin crew and pilots were also at Heathrow as the children boarded the superjumbo through a magical castle.

What's on your British Airways 747 to New York?

The UK contingent of IAG has just released some, supposedly revealing, data of what it carries on one of the airlines medium haul flights. 

A Boeing 747 operating from BA's London hub of Heathrow to New York's JFK airport is loaded with over 7,000 items they tell us. Many of those have to be unloaded and re-loaded before each flight. Included in the inventory are 101 full bottles and 388 quarter bottles of wine, 293 headrest covers - which is a little odd as BA has three different configurations of 275, 299 and 345 seats, the average of which could be 306, so some folk won't be getting a headrest cover! 

Worry not, no matter what configuration there 747 has, there will be enough pretzels to go around as BA carry 350 bags of the salty snacks. 78 toilet rolls on the flight as well as five first aid kits and up to around 800 items of bedding, including the new Club World White Company bedding, which has been recently introduced. 

The airline says that 47 percent of us are travelling solo, while 27 percent travel as a pair. Around 70 percent are travelling for leisure purposes and 28 percent are flying for business and who knows what the other 2 percent are travelling for.  

To help us visualise the figures, British Airways has created a patronising cartoon infographic of the results of its research, because we're all too stupid to know what a 747 or a control tower look like. 

The 747 farewell tour from Delta

Gosh, there sure seems to be a lot of farewells in the aviation industry just lately, Brussel's RJ's, United's 747's  KLM's Fokker 70's,  Finnair's A340's to name but four.  And just as soon as your eyes are no longer watering and you've dried your hanky, along comes another one!   This time it is Delta that is saying 'so long and thanks for all the revenue' to their Queen of the Skies,  the 747-400's.

Yep, time to end the long run of the lovely lump, the jumbo, the big bird is rapidly coming to an end, but don't worry,  there is still time to see and perhaps take part in some of the last Delta 747 flights – which are, Delta tells us, the last to be flown by any US passenger airline. 

Here are Delta's seven key things to know about the final farewells.

Delta is operating the Boeing 747-400 on daily scheduled service between its Detroit hub and its partner hub at Seoul-Incheon.

Here are the final regularly scheduled flights of the Delta 747: 

Garuda says goodbye to 747's

The Indonesian national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has announced this week that it has ended all operations utilising the airlines Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

“The last flight of aircraft PK-GSH marked the retirement of all three Boeing 747-400s owned by Garuda Indonesia. From 1994 to 2017, Garuda Indonesia operated three B747-400 planes with registration numbers PK-GSI, PK-GSG and PK-GSH,”  Garuda Indonesia president director Pahala N Mansury said in a statement.