The first of 31 remaining British Airways Boeing 747s has been sent to Spain for scrapping, according to the airline.
British Airways has announced the official retirement of the first of its 31 remaining Boeing 747s, after announcing immediate retirement plans for its jumbo jet fleet last month.
The Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVD, took off from Heathrow for the last time at 10:30am local time on Tuesday, headed to Castellon-Costa Azahar Airport.
The plane will reportedly be scrapped upon arrival in Spain.
G-CIVD entered into service in 1994, and conducted its final passenger flight in April 2020, when it flew British citizens back from Lagos, Nigeria, as a part of the UK’s COVID-19 repatriation efforts.
Commenting on the announcement, Al Bridger, British Airways’ director of flight operations, said, “All of us at British Airways and so many of our customers will have fond memories and special moments from our travels on the iconic jumbo jet.
“As a pilot who was lucky enough to fly the aircraft, the sheer scale of it was unforgettable, you literally looked down on other aircraft.
“It changed aviation forever when it arrived in the skies and I know I speak for our customers and the global aviation community when I say, despite rightly moving to more sustainable ways of flying, we will still miss the 747 dearly.”
Last month, British Airways, currently the world’s largest operator of Boeing 747 aircraft, announced that its 31 remaining jumbo jets would unfortunately never transport passengers again, as the airline rushed the plane’s retirement amid devastating financial pressure.
The planes were initially planned to be retired by the carrier in 2024, however this date has been brought forward in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent global aviation downturn.
Watch G-CIVD take off from London Heathrow Airport for the final time:
