As the last Boeing 747 jet landed on the runway of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the bright blue “Queen of the Sky” from KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines was soon thereafter brought to the graveyard after 59 years of service with different variants of the 747. The once majestic aircraft representing Boeing’s dream and the American dream is now saying goodbye to passengers and aviation enthusiasts all over the world. According to KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, the last 747 flights were two cargo operations from Shanghai—when they reached Netherlands airspace, they received the special callsign “KLM 747 heavy”.

The 747 was a legendary aircraft, creating the greatest revenue for Boeing and bringing each corner of the planet closer to each other. As the first wide-body long-range aircraft, it received almost 1,600 orders from airlines that envisioned intercontinental service all over the world. Born in the era of booming air travel, it helped many families to fulfill their dreams of traveling on an aircraft and going abroad. Created during the most recent technological revolution, this aircraft represented the dream of Boeing and Americans alike.

The Current Situation of “Her Majesty”

Harkening back through the history of the Boeing 747 jumbo jets, arrives at a quick realization that the passenger service of Boeing 747 is nearing an end. China Airlines, one of the main intercontinental airlines of Taiwan and China, has recently put its last four Boeing 747-400 aircraft on sale, planning to retire these aircraft during the start of the year 2021. Thai Airways, the flag carrier of Thailand, is putting its ten Boeing 747-400s on sale as well. Due to the reduction in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, British Airways, Lufthansa, and KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, have already retired all their Boeing 747s. According to flightaware.com, there are still seven airlines operating 747s with passengers: Air China, Air India, Iraqi Airways, Mahan Air, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, and Rossiya. With only a handful of airlines still operating the Boeing 747s, it is no surprise that its end is near.

However, the “Queen of the Sky” still showcases its beauty with many cargo airlines, such as UPS, DHL, and Air Bridge Cargo (a sub-company of Volga Dneper Group, the famous Russian cargo airline). Boeing 747 freighters are famous for their extraordinary long range capabilities. The major force of UPS cargo transportation consists of 32 Boeing 747-8 cargo transporters with 9 more in the process of delivery. Despite the 747 leaving the sight of passengers, they will still be majestic sights for aviation photographers all around the world.

Germs and the Queen

In 2020, human society endured one of the most significant health crises in history, in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aviation has definitely been one of the most impacted industries, and the pandemic has proven to be the culprit behind most Boeing 747 retirements.

According to the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration, less people have been passing checkpoints and going onboard commercial flights. With the fear of infection, less people choose to travel by air as everyone is kept in a cabin for several hours in close proximity, potentially increasing the chance of viral spread. Also, the aging of the aircraft has also brought about their retirement. The most used variant, Boeing 747-400, started production in 1988, making all 747-400s at least 20 years old. To make matters worse, the latest variant of Boeing 747, the B747-8, only received 107 freighter and 47 passenger jet orders. Besides the issues regarding COVID-19, there are deeper reasons why 747s are not favored by airlines anymore.

Pan-American Clippers

Let us imagine a time machine and flashback to the 1970s to find deeper reasons behind the death of the “Queen,” back when aviation travel first came into the eyes of the general public. During this booming era, one airline stood out, Pan American World Airways. An airline company that traversed the jet engine revolution, Pan American discovered the astronomical market for air travel after they put the first Boeing 707 jets onto popular routes like New York to London, and San Francisco to Hong Kong via Anchorage and Tokyo. With the increasing greed of profit provided by these hub-connection routes, the CEO, Juan Tripper asked Boeing company for an aircraft with the capacity and range that double those of the 707. Boeing came to the realization that supersonic air travel would not become popular, so they devoted themselves to designing and manufacturing the 747. However, time changed quicker than people’s predictions. With the preference for direct flights and the rise of fuel costs during the Afghanistan war, fewer and fewer seats were filled with passengers onboard Pan American’s 747s, which finally resulted in the bankruptcy of the company.

People’s changing patterns of air travel have played an important role in this story. Instead of traveling to aviation hubs for connecting flights, people nowadays favor direct flights and more accurate traveling. The Boeing 747 is an aircraft designed with a maximum capacity of 500 passengers, making it a fantastic flying machine between aviation hubs. During the emerging era of the Boeing 747, it was a booming time for aviation travel. The “Queen” was constantly put on major international and domestic routes such as London to Hong Kong, and Tokyo to Osaka. Airlines believe that hubs like Tokyo, New York, Seoul, and flights connecting hubs are the only ways to earn money, so they mostly use large capacity aircraft like the 747. They were enjoying the enormous profit created by the increase of air travel on these major routes, but passengers often had to get onboard several flights to reach their destinations. However, due to the advancement of technology and life pace, modern people prefer direct flights over flights from hubs to hubs with connecting flights.

From the perspective of the economy, 747s, therefore, become a less efficient option for airline companies. Compared with twin-engine oceanic and intercontinental aircraft, the 747 has a much greater fuel consumption due to its four engines. With new technology development, it has become unnecessary for aircrafts to equip four engines at the same time for safety considerations and power sustainability. Less capital and less maintenance effort can be put on twin-engine aircraft than 747s. Therefore, since the start of the 1990s, more airline companies have preferred Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s rather than Boeing 747s. Although many major airlines still kept 747s for a few decades, they were either put on routes that were guaranteed to profit or transformed into cargo versions. Take Cathay Pacific as an example: before the release of the Boeing 777, they purchased 58 747s of different variants. However, as the Boeing 777 series were released, most 747s were retired and efforts were put on purchasing 777s, with almost all remaining 747s assigned to cargo service.

Saying Farewell

Although the 747 is leaving our sight as a disappearing passenger jet due to the inevitable progress of technology and financial reasons, the beauty of the queen will remain in everyone’s hearts forever. From “Operation Solomon” (an airborne evacuation of Ethiopian Jews in 1991) conducted by El-Al Israeli Airlines and the Israeli Army, to President George W. Bush’s in-sky office, to the first non-stop commercial flight from China to the USA, to the world’s longest marathon flight from London to Sydney via Singapore, the Boeing 747 seems to never miss any historic and exciting occasions. As the first aircraft which made the world a smaller place, the queen will always remain in our hearts.