53 years after the 747 launched as a Pan Am passenger jet, Boeing delivers its final 747 aircraft, the original Jumbo Jet, on 31JAN. The final delivery of the legendary aircraft will be to New York-based aircraft leasing company Atlas Air Inc. in the 747's freighter version.
Designed in the late 1960s to meet demand for mass travel, the world’s first twin-aisle wide body jetliner’s nose and upper deck became a "club above the clouds," reports the Globe and Mail.
But it was the rows at the back that transformed travel.
“This was THE airplane that introduced flying for the middle class in the U.S.,” says Air France-KLM chief executive Ben Smith. “Prior to the 747 your average family couldn’t fly from the U.S. to Europe affordably.”
When the first 747 aircraft took off from New York on 22JAN 1970, it more than doubled plane capacity to 350-400 seats, which in turn reshaped airport design. “It was transformational across all aspects of the industry,” notes aviation historian Max Kingsley-Jones.
What comes next? Boeing's 777X, designed to take the 747’s place at the top of the jet market, has encountered delays and reportedly will not be ready until at least 2025. Nevertheless, the latest 747-8 version is set to stay flying for years, mostly as a freighter.
