Powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
world of aviation logo

Farewell to the 747: Boeing to pull production after 2022

written by Sandy Milne | July 30, 2020

A file image of an El Al Boeing 747. (Airlinerwatch)
A file image of an El Al Boeing 747. (Airlinerwatch)

Speaking to investors on Wednesday, Boeing has confirmed reports that it will pull production of the iconic 747 jumbo jet after 2022.

Boeing had initially declined to respond to a report published by Bloomberg nearly a fortnight ago, which said that the last 747-8 is expected to be completed in about two years.

“At a build rate of 0.5 airplanes per month, the 747-8 program has more than two years of production ahead of it in order to fulfil our current customer commitments,” a Boeing spokesman told Reuters at the time.

“We will continue to make the right decisions to keep the production line healthy and meet customer needs.”

With the model having fallen behind modern twin-engine passenger jets in recent years, the alarming drop in demand for aircraft across 2020 has acted as a catalyst for the model’s retirement.

Major airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa and Qantas have all moved ahead with plans to retire the “Queen of Skies” early.

Several weeks ago, Qantas began a farewell campaign to send the last 747 off in style, carving out the shape of a kangaroo in the skies over Sydney.

==
==

3 Comments

  • omegatalon

    says:

    One has to wonder whether it is possible to operate a Boeing 747 with just two General Electric Trent 1000 engines.

  • Michael Andrew

    says:

    It had to happen, another icon of the worlds airline industry has departed for good!

  • I’m very surprised, in that the ‘747’ is being ‘pulled’ from the production line, when I’m sure that the designers could could improve its performance, without too many problems. This would be beneficial to to many companies (including Boeing) by keeping the ‘747’ as the most popular choice for a people, and cargo carrier, as a very efficient safe airplane for so many years

Comments are closed.

close

Each day, our subscribers are more informed with the right information.

SIGN UP to the Australian Aviation magazine for high-quality news and features for just $99.95 per year