By Bulent Imat
British Airways announces the immediate withdrawal of the 747 fleet
British Airway has announced that it will immediately withdraw its Boeing 747 fleet following the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. The airline was forced to store all of its 28 747-400 due to reduced demand amid the respiratory disease pandemic.
In a letter sent to all BA employees, the airline believes the 747s are unsustainable for the new aviation industry after the pandemic and will seek to accelerate the withdrawal of the twins. Most of the airline’s 747s were slated to be phased out in early 2024. The interiors of its 747s had been recently renovated as part of a billion pound upgrade program to help extend the life of the fleet. . However, the current aviation crisis forced the airline to immediately withdraw its twins.
The announcement is not a real surprise, as airlines around the world rethink their fleet strategy regarding quad-jet aircraft. KLM also withdrew its 747 fleet from passenger operations, making the decision right at the start of the crisis.
“With much regret, we are proposing, subject to consultation, the immediate withdrawal of our Queen of Heaven, 747-400. We know there is speculation about social media and aviation websites, so we wanted to clarify our position, “the airline told its staff in a letter seen by AirlineGeeks.
This will mark a milestone for the airline as the jumbo era will end when the affectionately nicknamed ‘Queen of Heaven’ ceases operations for British Airways after a 51-year partnership. The airline has had tremendous success with the Boeing 747 since it entered service, operating its 747s as the flagship of its long-haul fleet.
BA has operated the iconic super jumbos since 1971 with the 747-100. Its first 747-400, registered G-BNLC, arrived in July 1989 and, in total, British Airways would have operated versions -100, -300 and -400. In total, 105 747 helmets were used by the airline. In connection with the -400 that will now disappear from the skies over the British, Boeing delivered its last 747s to the airline, G-BYGG, in April 1999. But after more than 50 years in the British Airways livery skies, has fallen. The airline began to opt for smaller, more profitable aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, of which the crew of either of these fleets is confirmed to be safe from possible redundancies in the near future.
However, they are a plane from another era and burn much more fuel than the latest generation of planes and logically require more frequent and detailed attention from our engineering team, according to British Airways.
British Airways was preparing to return 747s to service as demand continues to rise. However, as travel demand does not appear to be rapidly returning to pre-pandemic levels, the company has abandoned the idea of operating four-engine aircraft. The double deck was designed to carry large volumes of passengers, but flight restrictions and the new fear of coronavirus continue to prevent people from traveling.
“The entire airline community is reconciling with a bleak outlook for passenger demand. Long-distance travel will take years to recover, and major industry bodies agree that we will not see a return to 2019 levels until 2023 shortly, “the airline stressed.
The abrupt retirement of the superjumbo will be very emotional for the airline and aviation community.
“The unofficial flagship of our fleet, the 747-400 holds a very special place in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts and many of us. We know how many memories of this extra-special plane are shared between the BA family and our proposal to withdraw the fleet prematurely has only been taken in response to the crisis we are in, ”the letter continued.
Relying on high passenger volumes and high demand for premium travel, the 747s have become commercially infeasible to operate particularly during the current aviation crisis.
Bulent is an aviation journalist, content creator, and traveler. He lives in Germany and has experienced traveling with almost all the flag carriers and budget airlines based in Europe and the Middle East to observe the standards of different airlines and airports. He has extensive knowledge of web design and content creation.
