![]() On the opposite side of the spectrum are the shortest 747 scheduled routes. Notably, Qantas became the first all-747 operator in 1979-84 with 17 aircraft. Qantas operated one of its six ultra-long-range 747-400ERs of which the Australian carrier was the only operator, from 2011-14. Worth to Sydney, Australia, measuring 8,900 nmi.įlashback: Flying the Boeing 747 with Capt. Qantas holds the honor of the longest regularly scheduled 747 nonstop from Dallas/Ft. The Boeing 747SP, originally built for Pan Am’s New York-Tokyo nonstop, operated the longest commercial flight at the time in 1976 from New York to Tehran eastbound. This beat an earlier South African Airways 747SP delivery flight from Boeing’s Paine Field factory to Cape Town, South Africa, at 8,877 nmi. A Qantas Boeing 747-400 flew nonstop from London to Sydney during a 1989 promotional flight, notching around 9,100 nmi while remaining aloft for 20 hours. Photo: Luca Flores/Airways Short Legs and Long ReachĬommercially, the 747 has secured many milestones. The most popular variant in terms of the number of new aircraft customer orders was the second Dash 200 variant, which garnered 64 individual customers, including government aircraft. Of this tally, around 88 were built for airlines and leasing companies. Overall, around 100 customers took new delivery of brand news 747s. The least popular sub-variant was the 4 747-400SRs ordered for Japan Airlines’ high-density domestic operations. The least popular was the short-fuselage, ultra-long-range 747-SP, which only attracted 45 orders from 14 customers, 12 airlines, and 2 governments over an abbreviated production run from 1975–89. It also had the longest new delivery and manufacturing run at 30 years, from 1989 to 2009. The most popular variant was the Boeing 747-400, with 694 new-build aircraft delivered to 48 first-hand customers. : The Mighty Boeing 747 Enters Revenue Service In the 2000s, 2001 was the peak delivery year with 31 examples. The 1990 heyday year for orders was the runner-up for deliveries, with 90 new aircraft handed over to customers. ![]() The Jumbo achieved its delivery peak in 1970, the year it entered service, with an incredible 92 frames. Atlas Air, which took the last 747-8, placed the final 747 order in 2021, simultaneously with the announcement of the program’s termination. In the 2000s, the launch year of the 747-8 in 2005 resulted in the largest additions to the order book with 53. Prior to that, the launch year of 1966 witnessed the most orders at 83. This was shortly after the 747-400 entered service and a year before the 777 was authorized to order. The 747 achieved its highest order total in 1990, pulling in 122. The Ultimate 747-8 attracted a total of 156 orders, between 48 Intercontinental passenger-carrying versions and 108 freighter versions. Combi orders totaled 251, at 74 Dash 200s, 21 Dash 300s, and 61 Dash 400s. The total number of freighters tallied is 347 with 73 Dash 200s, 166 Dash 400s, and 108 -8Fs. ![]() Passenger versions, including Combis, have notched the lion’s share of orders over the years at around 1,227 airframes. Photo: Nick Sheeder/Airways Variants, Orders, and Deliveries Since its first delivery in January 1970, Boeing submits that the 747 fleet has logged more than 118 million flight hours and nearly 23 million flight cycles, carrying some 7.5 billion passengers-equivalent to the earth’s population in 2018. So, without further adieu, before we say adieu, let’s let the numbers speak for the 747. Numbers don’t even begin to tell the whole story, but they don’t lie. In this story, Airways looks back at the Queen’s legendary reign through the commercial lens of Boeing and the type’s operators, with an assist from numbers-plus a few other unusual factoids reminding us that size does matter. And half-a-century later, the 747 which was in some ways the second prize afterthought during the supersonic crazed era of the late 1960s, continues to be relevant – even in its sunset years. Some of the bets didn’t pay off, while many did. As the flagship, the Jumbo changed the fortunes of the airlines that flew it, and their nations as well. In the long run, his bet didn’t pay off, but Boeing’s bet did. Its launch customer’s Pan Am founder, Juan Trippe, bet his “chosen instrument” on the 747. The Jumbo Era Ends: Boeing Delivers Last 747 to Atlas AirĪt the 1966 launch date, Boeing bet the company-and nearly lost it-on the success of this game-changing airplane that epitomized the phrase long before it became a cliché.
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