“It is with great sadness that we can confirm that we are proposing to withdraw our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect,” British Airways, the world’s largest operator of the 747-400, said in a statement on Friday.
The once innovative jumbo jet was one of the world’s most popular jets, but Boeing hasn’t built a passenger version since it delivered the last one to Korean Airlines in 2017. Airbus (EADSF) It dropped its own jumbo jet, the A380, last year, when airlines moved away from oversized jets in favor of smaller, more efficient jets that burn less fuel per passenger.
With the coronavirus decimating flight demand, the pressure on airlines to save money has never been greater, and many are cutting the size of their fleets and scrapping older planes. Lufthansa (DLAKF), which is cutting 100 aircraft from its fleet, landed all of its A380s in March.
“Our magnificent ‘queen of the skies’ is unlikely to re-operate commercial services for British Airways due to the slowdown in travel caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic,” said British Airways, which is part of the IAG (ICAGIA) aviation group.
At its peak, British Airways had a fleet of 57 747-400, having received its first delivery of the aircraft in 1989. It had originally planned to withdraw the last aircraft in 2024.
“While the aircraft will always have a special place in our hearts, as we move into the future, we will operate more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft, such as our new A350s and 787s, to help us achieve zero net carbon emissions for 2050, “said the carrier.
There are only 171 of the passenger versions of the 747 still in fleets worldwide, and only 27 of them are in use, according to the Cirium Fleets database, a research firm that tracks commercial aircraft. Since global air travel is not expected to recover for several years, many of those ground planes will never return to service.
Boeing delivered the first 747 passenger aircraft in December 1969. US cargo airline Atlas air (AAWW) It is now the largest single operator of 747, with a fleet of 39, according to the CAPA Aviation Center in 2018.
The aircraft maker has continued to build a cargo version of the 747, but at a very slow pace. And that production could end soon. Boeing has only 12 remaining firm orders for UPS (UPS), and three orders from a Russian freight forwarder that are no longer secure enough to fit in your order book.
The pandemic has caused Boeing (licensed in letters) to cut costs and cut 16,000 jobs in the worst recession the aerospace industry has ever seen.
– Chris Isidore, Robert North and Charles Riley contributed reporting.
.
Related
