KLM first introduced the 747 in 1971, at that time a 747-200, and was therefore originally planning to end its history with the aircraft type exactly 50 years later, in 2021. – Photo: Kevin P Horn The upper deck of the Korean Air 747-400. Retirement for Korean’s 744 fleet is currently scheduled for September 2017. The iconic aircraft's milestones and fade from service come into focus again with the impending retirement of Cathay Pacific's passenger 747 fleet. Despite a downturn in passenger traffic that should last for years, Korean Air hasn’t announced any aircraft retirement yet. Final China Airlines 747 Flight. The 18 747 aircraft that have been retrofitted with new inflight entertainment systems and seat covers will be the last in the fleet to retire, with the goal to have the 747 exit the fleet entirely by February 2024. The Boeing 747 is facing retirement at many of the world's airlines but is seeing a resurgence in the air cargo industry. Lufthansa is planning to retire all of their Airbus A380s, the bulk of their smaller A340s and all of their older Boeing 747-400s. In fact, he said the 747-8 will serve as “our flagship… after the crisis”. Like Air China, Korean Air has two 747-400s and a handful more of the newer 747-8. Korean Air Version. Korean Air is also a 747-8 operator. Korean Air has a fleet of 23 Boeing 747s, which includes a mix of the older Boeing 747-400 version and the newer Boeing 747-800 version, making it one of only a handful of passenger airlines operating the Boeing 747-8 on passenger flights (together with Lufthansa and Air China). Speaking (virtually) at the World Aviation Festival, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said Lufthansa has no plans to retire any of its 19 747-8 aircraft. The move would be one of the largest fleet shake-ups of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, EVA Air has posted a 747 … Next to her is their first delivered A300 parked. Less known is the fact that they still have two -400s in their fleet. The airline’s fleet of … The 1st Philippine Airlines Boeing 747 retired. With this retirement, Americans say farewell to the "Queen of the Skies." The unexpected claims stem from a number of unnamed internal sources, who, according to Bloomberg, also believe that there will be a cull of narrow-body planes that feed longer routes. The Cons: Disappointing entertainment selection. Iranian carrier Mahan Air has re-activated its Boeing 747-300, becoming the only carrier in the world to utilize that variant of the Queen of the Skies for passenger service. Per Sam Chui, Mahan Air has finished rebuilding and maintenance on EP-MNE, a 747-300 that was involved in a crash landing five years ago. But now for some good news. Those have been parked since late February/early March at Gimpo airport. Mahan Air Activates 747-300. Sad to see them go. Korean Air this week has made its second major changes to Summer 2016 traffic program, effective 27MAR16. November 4, 2017 by Ben 77. Korean Air With Air China and Lufthansa, Korean is one of only three operators worldwide of the 747-8. The latest update sees operational changes to planned Boeing 747-8I operation, while retirement of 747-400 on selected routes is being accelerated. The reason behind this short-notice decision for an early retirement is the Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis and resulting travel restrictions around the world. ... once on a Korean Air 747 and then on a BA 747. Korean Air is another airline with one of the newest 747 models out there, the Boeing 747-8i. ... Korean Air, and Air China. None of them have flown passengers since the crisis began. The oldest Boeing 747-8I, flying for Lufthansa, is barely 7 years old. As the carrier intends to take delivery of four more B777-300(ER)s this year, it will likely retire its three remaining B747-400s in the coming months.. The only good thing about 747 retirement is that we seem to get a cool “farewell” video from each airline whenever it happens. Air China, Korean Air, and Lufthansa will not replace newer 747-8s soon. Korean Air's 747-8 is really a joy to fly, especially if you score a window seat on the upper deck. Get to Seoul on Korean Air. Hello All, Korean Air announced the disposal of its in-flight catering and duty-free units last week to Hahn & Company, a private equity company. The interior is a little tired, but with retirement months away, flying up top was a privilege! On March 20, 2021, the final China Airlines 747 passenger flight occurred, a 5-hour, 38-minute flight to nowhere. So some of these routes from U.S. cities might fly on a 747 for years to come. Air China flies a 747-8 between SFO and Beijing. Sam Chui has fond memories of photographing many Qantas B747 at Sydney during his college years. – Photo: Kevin P Horn. But the iconic wide-body will still be available from other carriers.British Airways, for instance, recently overhauled the interiors of its 747-400 fleet, and Lufthansa and Korean Air are flying the newer version of the aircraft, the 747-8. Another “Queen of the Skies” joins the Aviationtag fleet: the former Korean Air Boeing 747-400 registered under HL7490! It is uncertain how the COVID-19 will play out and there may be a risk to see these beloved 747 not returning to service from storage, which I hope not the case. But the pickings are slim for U.S. travelers looking to fly to Seoul on a 747. The Pros: Great seat with loads of privacy, excellent catering, lots of storage on the upper deck. Even their 747-8 fleet has been all but completely dormant for the past four months. Other airlines, including Air China (Frankfurt Am Main) and Korean Air (London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle & Frankfurt Am Main), fly passengers to Europe with the 747. Lufthansa is one of the world’s largest Boeing 747 operators. Qantas is planning the retirement of their B747 fleet at the end of 2020. British Airways on Friday retired its Boeing 747 jumbo jets, hastening s withdrawal of the ageing plane after the coronavirus pandemic crushed demand for air travel and carriers began switching to greener jets. The last of the airline's 16 jumbo Boeing 747-400s flew to a desert retirement, ... KLM and in Asia with Korean Air Lines and Air China. The 747-400F has a main deck nose door and a mechanized cargo handling system. You can no longer buy a ticket on any US airline to fly on a Boeing 747. The airline places numerous aircraft in long-term storage. Air New Zealand retired its final Boeing 747 aircraft last month, replacing it with a fleet of s Delta Air Lines Begins Boeing 747 Retirement – AirlineGeeks.com Lately, many Asian airlines have followed suit to stay in line with their competitors. Here is a timeline of when several airlines will retire their final 747. British Airways started its 747 retirement process some five years ago, having operated 57 at its peak in the mid-2000s. Boeing 747-2B5B Generic Type. Last autumn, I noted that China Airlines would retire its 747 passenger fleet in 2021. In February 1994, it left Boeing’s factory doors with the manufacturer serial number (MSN) 27177 and line number 1019 headed for Korean Air, where it was given the Korean registration HL7490. Originally delivered to Air Canada in 1995, it went to PR in 2003. Todas las actualizaciones y noticias más recientes sobre los proyectos de restauración de Warbird, incluidos los lugares donde se pueden ver volar y los aviones que se exponen. YYZFlyer says: November 4, 2017 at 8:56 am . The nose door swings up so that pallets or containers up to 40 ft (12 m) can be loaded straight in on motor-driven rollers. Major customers included Atlas Air, Cargolux, China Airlines, Korean Air, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Polar Air Cargo and Singapore Airlines. Patrick says: July 29, 2018 at 5:06 pm . The airline hopes to raise close to 1 trillion Korean Won. It has 10, found on U.S. routes to Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Honolulu. United and Delta are the last U.S. airlines to fly 747s. 747-400 747-400BCF 747-400D 747-400ER 747-400ERF 747-400F 747-400M Air China All Nippon Airways Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Anchorage Atlas Air British Airways Cathay Pacific Airways China Airlines Chitose Air Base CN-RGA El Al Israel Airlines ER-BAE EVA Air flynas GE Engines HS-TGP International Lease Finance Co Jakarta Airport Japan Airlines JASDF KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Korean Air … Korean Air is the next largest operator with 12. This was the first delivered 747 to Korean. If you look beyond Europe, Air China, Thai Airways and Korean Air still offer you the chance to board a Boeing 747. British Airways Reveals 747 Retirement Plans. Spohr also called the 747-8 the “most efficient aircraft” in the Lufthansa fleet. Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) launched scheduled passenger services with its two A220-300 aircraft on January 20. The 747 has been in the spotlight since the Aug-2016 passing of lead engineer Joe Sutter.