February 2019

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50 Year Anniversary

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February 9th 2019 marked 50 years to the day that the first Boeing 747 went airborne over the United States - the result of the work of 50,000 employees.

It was the largest civilian aircraft in the world and required the world's largest building (by volume) at the time, for its assembly plant in Everett, Washington.

Led by chief executive William Allen and head of the design team Joe Sutter, Boeing was seen as taking a risk on the mechanics and finances involved in getting the 747 off the ground. The aircraft was rolled out in September 1968 and then underwent further work before its maiden flight with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls and Jess Wallick at the flight engineer's station.

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February 2018

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UPS  Order

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The long goodbye for Boeing’s iconic 747 jetliner is turning out to be a little premature.

The planemaker won a $5.65 billion lifeline for the endangered jumbo as United Parcel Service Inc. exercised options for 14 more of the freighters. The deal came weeks after Delta Air Lines Inc. parked the last of its 747 aircraft, marking the end of U.S. passenger service for the iconic humpbacked plane nicknamed the Queen of the Skies.

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December 2017

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No US airline will operate a 747 by the end of the year

 

Delta is retiring its Boeing 747 fleet this year, replacing the jumbo jets with the twin-engine Airbus A350 planes.

A chapter of aviation history is closing this year, as commercial U.S. airlines bid farewell to the Boeing 747, the jumbo jet that made air travel affordable for millions of people around the globe because it could fit hundreds of passengers inside.

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The 747 is one of the world's most recognizable planes. But after flying the four-engine, fuel-hungry plane for decades, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are retiring the so-called Queen of the Skies in favor of sleeker, more fuel-efficient models that are cheaper to operate.

 

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April 2017

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AirBridgeCargo Orders

 

Russian AirBridgeCargo (ABC) has taken delivery of the first of two Boeing 747-8Fs under a long-term lease agreement with US-based lessor Intrepid Aviation.

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The second 747-8F is scheduled for delivery to ABC later this year. The deliveries are the culmination of Intrepid’s first transaction with the Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO)-based cargo carrier. 

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Singapore-based lessor BOC Aviation also announced it had purchased two 747-8Fs, both to be delivered to ABC under long-term lease agreements. The transaction also marks BOC Aviation’s first leasing arrangement with ABC. BOC Aviation confirmed with ATW the 747-8Fs are secondhand aircraft purchased from Boeing Capital Corp.

 

 

March 2017

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Boeing to Finance 747 Deliveries

 

Boeing has come up with a temporary plan to save the iconic but slow-selling 747 jumbo. It is now buying its own aircraft and then  leasing them to cargo airlines.

 

Traditional leasing companies have been hesitant to finance a plane with a dwindling customer base. 

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However, as the air-cargo market recovers, the strategy may pay off for Boeing. They recently landed a crucial 747 order from UPS that could serve as a bridge to the future for the wide-body plane.

 

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November 2016

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United Confirm Phasing Out of their 747 Fleet

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United Airlines said recently that it expects to retire all 20 of the 747s in its fleet by October 2018.

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United is shifting its 747 flying to newer wide-body jets, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 777 models that the carrier has ordered.

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The 747s in United's fleet – all 747-400s seat 374 passengers.

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Delta Airlines is the only other U.S. carrier that currently uses 747s for passenger service. Like United, Delta also has begun to phase out its models of the jet. The carrier is on record as saying it expects to retire its last 747 by the end of next year.

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October 2016

 

Boeing Delivered 747 Lifeline by UPS

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UPS has ordered 14 Boeing 747-8 Freighters in a surprise deal that breathes new life into the jumbo wide-body programme. The $5.3 billion order includes options to buy another 14 747-8Fs. There is currently no set timeline for deliveries.

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"These aircraft are a strategic investment for increased capacity for UPS customers around the globe," stated Brendan Canavan, president of UPS Airlines. UPS will use the 747-8s to "upsize our network in both new and existing markets", Canavan added.

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It is the first jumbo freighter order for the Atlanta-based carrier since it cancelled a deal to buy 10 Airbus A380 Freighters a decade ago.

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August 2016

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Joe Sutter, the man who led development of Boeing's 747 dies aged 95.

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Boeing's commercial aircraft boss Ray Conner said Sutter was "an inspiration" not just to Boeing but "to the entire aerospace industry".

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The 747, which ushered in the long-haul travel era, first flew in 1969 before making its commercial debut in 1970. It only lost its status as the biggest passenger aircraft in 2007 with the launch of the Airbus A380.

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Sutter was in charge of the engineering team that developed the 747 in the mid-1960s. He and his team became known as "the Incredibles" for producing the world's largest aeroplane in just 29 months.

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