In case you haven’t already heard, the last Boeing 747 will soon roll off Boeing's production
line.
Once the finishing touches are applied, the final Boeing 747-8F will be delivered to Atlas
Air.
This upcoming delivery will mark the end of an iconic half-century-long-era in the aviation
industry.
Let’s examine what we know so far about this final delivery…
So far, we know that Atlas Air is expecting three more 747-8Fs from Boeing.
Of course, with so much work being put into each jumbo jet, massive teams of workers are
working on these three concurrently - with work on the last 747 ever to be built, now
underway.
The three jets, according to Planespotters, will be registered:
N861GT N862GT
And N863GT
Respectively, their manufacturer serial numbers will be 67148, 67149, and 67150.
At this point in time, we know that N861GT took its first flight on August 19th and was
ferried to Portland for painting.
We can assume the two subsequent jets aren’t yet ready for these stages just yet.
If we go purely by these numbers, and assume that Boeing will complete each jet in the
order that work was started, then it can be presumed that the last-ever 747 will have
MSN 67150 with registration N863GT.
For months now, we’ve known about this eventuality - with this final jet expected to roll off
the assembly line this October - which is only 1 to 2 months away.
Oh how time flies!
For several decades, from its launch until 2019, the 747 remained superiorly popular,
even as the Airbus A380 came into the picture to spice up the competition between the jumbo
jets.
Boeing kept the Queen going strong by stretching out the length and introducing new variants,
allowing airlines to use the aircraft for commercial and cargo services until nearly
every significant international carrier had the Boeing 747 in its fleet.
While the end of the Queen was foreseen for a more distant future, the introductions of
new-generation twin-engined revolutionaries and the collapse in demand for travel during
the pandemic made the end come sooner than Boeing and aviation enthusiasts would have
preferred.
Paired with rising fuel costs, the Boeing 747 was no longer as economical as it once
was, and only a small handful of airlines still operate passenger flights using the
Queen.
Still, the 747 proves more useful in these times for its cargo capabilities.
Atlas Air and UPS currently stand on the podium as the biggest Boeing 747 operator, with both
the -400F and -8F variants in their respective fleets.
As the Queen reaches the end of her time, Boeing has essentially hit the brakes on one
of its most significant offerings.
With the production of the Boeing 747s winding down, the manufacturer has relied more heavily
upon its other notable and more popular modern widebodies, the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner.
How do you feel about the end being near for 747 production?
And when, exactly, do you think the last 747 will stop flying?
Could it be 40 years from now?
Or perhaps even longer?
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!