Boeing Completes Delivery of Its Final 747 Jumbo Jet

On Tuesday, Boeing says goodbye to a legend as it hands over its last 747 jumbo jet.

Since its inaugural flight in 1969, the majestic 747 has functioned as a cargo aircraft, a passenger plane with a capacity of nearly 500, a transport for NASA’s space shuttles, and even as Air Force One for presidential travel. It transformed air travel by establishing direct routes between cities worldwide and making international flight accessible to more people.

However, in the last 15 years, Boeing and its European competitor Airbus have launched more efficient and profitable wide-body aircraft featuring only two engines instead of the 747’s four. The final aircraft marks the 1,574th unit produced by Boeing in Washington State's Puget Sound area.

A large gathering of current and former Boeing employees is anticipated for the final farewell. The last jet is being delivered to cargo carrier Atlas Air.

“For those who cherish this industry, this moment has been a long time coming,” remarked veteran aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia. “While no one desires a four-engine airliner anymore, the immense impact this aircraft had on the industry's growth and its extraordinary legacy cannot be overlooked.”

Boeing embarked on the journey to create the 747 after missing out on a contract for a massive military transport, the C-5A. The vision was to leverage the new high-bypass turbofan engines developed for the transport, which consumed less fuel by directing air around the engine core, thereby extending flight ranges, and repurpose them for a groundbreaking civilian aircraft.

In an impressive feat, over 50,000 Boeing employees produced the first 747 in less than 16 months, earning them the title “The Incredibles.” The production of the jumbo jet necessitated the establishment of a colossal factory in Everett, north of Seattle—the largest building in the world by volume.

The aircraft measured 225 feet (68.5 meters) in length, with a tail that towered as high as a six-story building. Its design featured a second deck extending from the cockpit back over the front third of the plane, giving it a distinctive hump that led to the nickname, the Whale. More affectionately, the 747 is known as the Queen of the Skies.

Some airlines transformed the second deck into a first-class lounge for cocktails, while the lower deck occasionally hosted lounges or even a piano bar. One retired 747, originally crafted for Singapore Airlines in 1976, has been repurposed into a 33-room hotel located near the airport in Stockholm.

“It was the first major airliner and the first wide-body aircraft, establishing a new benchmark for airlines on how to utilize it and attract passengers,” remarked Guillaume de Syon, a history professor at Albright College in Pennsylvania with a focus on aviation. “It embodied mass air travel: you couldn't fill it with only full-fare passengers, which meant lowering prices to attract more people. It played a significant role in the air travel deregulation of the late 1970s.”

The inaugural 747 entered service in 1970 on Pan Am's New York to London route, but its timing was unfortunate, according to Aboulafia. It launched just before the oil crisis of 1973, during a recession that saw Boeing's workforce plummet from 100,800 employees in 1967 to just 38,690 by April 1971. This period, known as the 'Boeing bust,' was famously illustrated by a billboard near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reading, “Will the last person leaving SEATTLE—Turn out the lights.”

An upgraded model, the 747-400 series, was introduced in the late 1980s and enjoyed much better timing, coinciding with the early 1990s Asian economic boom, as Aboulafia recalled. He remembered flying on a Cathay Pacific 747 from Los Angeles to Hong Kong as a young backpacker in 1991.

“Even someone like me could explore Asia,” Aboulafia noted. “Before, you had to stop for fuel in Alaska or Hawai‘i, making it significantly more expensive. This route was direct—and reasonably priced.”

Delta was the last U.S. airline to operate the 747 for passenger flights, which concluded in 2017, though some international airlines, including Germany's Lufthansa, continue to use it.

Atlas Air placed an order for four 747-8 freighters early last year, with the last one departing from the factory on Tuesday.

Boeing, which has its origins in the Seattle area, operates assembly plants in Washington State and South Carolina. In May, the company revealed plans to relocate its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia, bringing its executives closer to important federal officials and the Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for certifying Boeing’s passenger and cargo aircraft.

Boeing's rapport with the FAA has been tested following the tragic crashes of its best-selling 737 Max model in 2018 and 2019. The FAA took nearly two years—much longer than Boeing anticipated—to approve design modifications and permit the aircraft to return to service.