For Air New Zealand it is a case of out with the old and in with the new.
Fresh from taking delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the Kiwi flag carrier has retired one of its two remaining Boeing 747-400s.
747-475 ZK-SUH (msn 24896), has landed at the aircraft graveyard in Victorville, California after leaving Auckland at 1723 on Monday and a brief stopover at LAX.
The withdrawal of ZK-SUH leaves Air NZ with just one remaining 747, ZK-NBV. That aircraft was expected to be retired in September.
Named City of Dunedin, ZK-SUH first flew for Air NZ in 1994, having previously been with Brazil’s Varig.
Air NZ has used the 747s mainly for charter or one-off flights in recent times, as well as regular scheduled services between San Francisco and Auckland.
The four-engined jumbos have gradually been replaced by the more fuel-efficient Boeing 777-300ERs, with the newest of the type joining the Air NZ fleet in June.
