The Boeing 747 has been inspiring travelers for more than half a century. Sadly, owing to both
the ongoing health crisis and the type’s rising age, the 747 is becoming an increasingly rare
sight in the skies around the world. However, despite no longer flying, some examples have
gone on to serve other purposes after their retirement. Let’s take a look at a few…
One of the ways in which the 747 was a game-changing aircraft was its increase in space,
which allowed for a more luxurious onboard cabin. The aircraft’s striking top deck became
known for featuring opulent lounge and bar areas, such as Qantas’s Captain Cook Lounge.
Airlines also offered premium passengers an exclusive cabin in the plane’s nose,
such as Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class.
While it is increasingly hard to find active 747s on which to enjoy a restful night’s sleep
in the air, there is one instance where you can do so on the ground instead.
If you haven’t guessed already, we’re talking about the incredible Jumbo Stay hotel,
located at Sweden’s Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
This project is based on a Singapore Airlines and Pan Am 747-200 repurposed as an avgeek’s dream
location for an overnight stay. However, rather than merely using the cabin for accommodation
as would have been the case during its service life, passengers can even stay in the engines-
which certainly earns it a high spot on the avgeek bucket list!
Across the North Atlantic Ocean, another group has found a very different but equally useful
purpose for a retired jumbo. The Air Force One Experience obtained an ex-Evergreen
International Airlines 747-200F to create a replica of the US presidential jet.
School groups can enjoy a three-hour self-guided tour in and around the aircraft,
which features re-creations of several significant onboard rooms. The project states the following:
“Our mission is to educate the next generation of American citizens
about the importance of democracy, civic responsibility, and the right to vote.”
Having to exit an aircraft via an emergency slide is, thankfully,
an extremely rare occurrence. However, what about exiting the aircraft via water slide? Incredibly,
this obscure proposition is in fact a reality at the Wings and Waves Waterpark in Oregon!
On top of this aquatic leisure complex sits another ex-Evergreen 747. In this instance,
the aircraft was a -100F variant,
having been converted from a passenger-carrying China Airlines 747-100 in 1978.
As well as making the building as a whole look striking, the 747 is
special in that it houses two water slides – certainly another one for the bucket list!
Finally, there’s the reef at Dive Bahrain- home to a fully submerged 747, making for the
largest aircraft ever to be used as an artificial reef. The 747-200 was last registered as TF-AAA
and started its life with Malaysia Airlines before being converted to a freighter.
Retired in 2013, the jet was submerged in 2019 and now sits 20-22 meters below the water,
just north of Bahrain’s coast. It is very heartwarming to see the
747 live on through these, and other, inventive ground-based enterprises.
Have you ever visited any of these quirky retired Boeing 747s?
How else might you like to see these aircraft used once their service life is over?
Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!