A Boeing Co. 747 passenger jet, operated by British Airways, takes off at London Heathrow Airport, UK.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | fake pictures
British Airways, currently the largest operator of the Boeing 747, said it would withdraw its entire fleet of iconic aircraft earlier than expected due to the slowdown in the coronavirus.
The airline, owned by the International Consolidated Airlines Group, had originally planned to eliminate the “jumbo jet” by 2024. But travel restrictions due to Covid-19 prompted the company to take action now.
“It is with great sadness that we can confirm that we are proposing to withdraw our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect,” the airline said in a statement e-mailed to CNBC.
“Our magnificent ‘queen of heaven’ is unlikely to re-operate commercial services for British Airways due to the slowdown in travel caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
Instead, he said, he would operate more flights on “modern, fuel-efficient aircraft,” including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
BA began flying the plane in the early 1970s, and received its current fleet of 747-400s between 1989 and 1999. At its peak, the airline had 57 of the 747s, second only to Japan Airlines, and the planes now they reportedly represent approximately 10% of their total fleet. He currently owns 31 of the four-engine ships, with an average age of 23 years.
The news comes after Qantas Airways announced in June that it would withdraw its six Boeing 747 aircraft immediately, six months earlier than originally planned.
The giant jets are 231 feet long and have a wingspan of 213 feet, large enough to accommodate 50 parked cars. Originally designed to seat 27 first-class and 292 economy-class passengers, they featured a lounge on the upper deck called “club in the sky,” but now they have three different seating designs.
BA recently warned that 12,000 jobs were at risk due to the pandemic and the resulting impact of air travel. IAG shares have fallen 65% so far this year.
The International Air Transport Association forecast last month that airlines were on track to lose $ 84 billion this year, and another $ 15 billion in 2021. In April, air travel fell more than 90% from the previous year, according to IATA, in what hopes to be the worst year in the history of the industry.
– CNBC’s Natasha Turak contributed to this article.
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